


Adventures of Gorilla

by professorwillie



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternative Perspective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-03-01 20:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13302324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professorwillie/pseuds/professorwillie
Summary: Gorilla has his hands full being Adrien's bodyguard. This work is Gorilla's perspective of what happens in the show. Each chapter will be the corresponding episode of the show.





	1. Origins Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Miraculous Ladybug Timeline](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/349443) by biminnie.tumblr.com. 



Nathalie was looking for Mr. Agreste again. He had somehow disappeared out of his office without going through the door. He disappeared often these days. When she asked Gorilla if she had seen him, he just shook his head and shrugged. That man was a mystery. One he did not plan on solving. Gorilla watched her slip into Mr. Agreste’s office and close the door behind her. At that moment, Adrien walked out of his bedroom towards the kitchen. Gorilla looked at his watch. It was time for Adrien to eat breakfast. This place was a well-oiled machine, thanks to Nathalie. No one was ever late for anything, even breakfast.

Gorilla sat at the small writing desk in the foyer. He didn’t have an office. He needed a place to watch the whole house and this was the best place he could be. He could monitor most of the bedroom doors and watch the front door and gate from here. He pulled the Agreste company laptop out of his bag and began to write his weekly report on the kid. Part of his job duties, besides being a chauffeur, bodyguard, and overall imposing figure, was to report where he had driven Adrien that week, who he had seen, and if there were any suspicious characters around. Sometimes he included observations about the kid’s emotional state, even though it wasn’t asked of him. He doubted anyone ever read the reports as no one commented or asked questions about them. Nathalie only ever asked about them if she hadn’t received one in a timely manner. She was a stickler for organization and promptness. 

Most of the time, Adrien stayed in the house. He was homeschooled and had very few opportunities to leave, but Gorilla knew he was needed as a bodyguard for the kid. When he did get a chance to go out, Adrien was extremely popular thanks to the Agreste fashion ads he modeled for his father. Teenage girls seemed especially taken with him. Adults usually took pictures without asking, teenage girls screamed and cried. Gorilla disliked both. He hated drama and fans were nothing but pure drama. 

He was writing about Adrien’s Chinese lesson that week when a door alarm sounded. He pulled up the video surveillance on the laptop and saw the door leading from the kitchen to the delivery door open. He had checked the delivery schedule earlier and there were none scheduled for this time of day. The Gorilla’s eyes narrowed and he clicked on the camera to the drive. He saw Adrien walking slowly out the side gate. The kid looked back to see if anyone was watching. Gorilla shook his head. Based on a conversation he had heard the day before, Gorilla knew he was sneaking out to go to school. 

He knocked on the door to Mr. Agreste’s office where he had last seen Nathalie. He saw her at Mr. Agreste’s desk reorganizing his daily schedule. He nodded to her. “Did Adrien try to go to school?” she asked. Her tone was dry, but he could tell she was annoyed. The Gorilla nodded the affirmative. 

“Left by the side gate. He’ll be halfway to the school by now,” he responded. He didn’t like to talk, but sometimes information had to be conveyed.

“Get the car,” she said as she walked quickly out of the office.

Gorilla walked to the garage and pulled the car in front of the house. Nathalie jumped in the passenger seat and they took off toward the school Adrien had wanted to attend. It was a quick drive. The school was just past the park, about 2 blocks away. 

“There he is,” Nathalie said calmly pointing at Adrien. He wondered if she ever showed any emotion. He hadn’t seen it so far in his work with her. It wasn’t like he was any better.   
He followed her finger to the sidewalk where Adrien was running toward the front steps of the school. Gorilla smiled to himself. That kid could run. He pulled the car around quickly, screeching the tires slightly. He grimaced, the tires shouldn’t do that. He was out of evasive driving practice.

Nathalie hopped out of the car and ran to Adrien who was on the steps of the school. Adrien knew he was caught. He could see the look of disappointment on the kid’s face as he walked around the car to join her. He stood behind her to show they were a united front, even though he thought the kid should go to school with other kids. Having friends was important and the only friend Adrien had was that horrible Chloe Bourgeois. 

“Adrien, please reconsider. You know what your father wants,” Nathalie pleaded with him.

“But this is what I want to do,” Adrien responded as he turned his back on her to continue up the stairs. Gorilla watched as Adrien turned toward a noise from the far end of the sidewalk. He watched Adrien spring into action and run to an old man who had fallen and could not reach his cane. Gorilla looked on fondly as Adrien selflessly helped the man to his feet. He watched Adrien’s face change as he looked back and noticed he and Nathalie were both blocking the entrance to the school. The kid may be fast, but there was no way he could get past both of them. 

Adrien walked back, “I just want to go to school like everyone else. What’s so wrong with that? Please don’t tell my father about this.” Gorilla felt his face soften, but Nathalie still looked stern. He put his hand on Adrien’s back and led him to the car. Nathalie and Adrien got in the back. 

The drive back home was silent. Adrien looked disappointed and sad. Nathalie had the same look on her face she always did when her carefully planned schedule had been spoiled. He knew Nathalie wanted what was best for the kid, but she really hated to be inconvenienced. They walked in the front door together. Gorilla decided, since the kid might try to leave again, he should keep him in his sights and put the car away later. He closed the door and made sure to block it with his body, showing Adrien he couldn’t get out again.

“I’ll meet you in the dining room in five minutes. Bring your history assignments with you,” Nathalie instructed. He watched Adrien walk up the stairs to his room. He looked so dejected. He knew the kid just wanted to be normal. He would give anything to give that to him, it just wasn’t up to him. He watched Nathalie disappear into Mr. Agreste’s office. She was going to tell him about Adrien’s trip to school. Gorilla shook his head. It was like she wanted to get the kid in trouble. There was no reason to tell Mr. Agreste unless she thought the kid would try it again. Maybe he would. 

Gorilla walked up the stairs and stood outside Adrien’s room and waited for him to come out. There was only one way out of the room, unless the kid went out the window. It was a long drop down, so he doubted that would happen. He could hear Adrien moving around, then silence for a moment, and the door opened. Adrien looked up at him and then turned to walked down the stairs. Gorilla wished he knew the right words to say to him. He wished he could make him understand why he couldn’t go to school. To be honest, Gorilla didn’t understand why the kid couldn’t go to school, but he was Mr. Agreste’s kid and Gorilla wouldn’t tell him how to raise his own child.

He followed Adrien down the stairs. Adrien opened the door to the dining room and sat at the large table. Gorilla sat down at the small writing desk and watched through the open door as Nathalie begin going over his history lessons with him. “Excellent, Adrien,” Nathalie said when he gave a correct answer. Gorilla saw Adrien was not engaged in the lesson like he normally was. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but sitting at that table. He watched Mr. Agreste walk into the room. He could tell by the expression on the man’s face this would not be a pleasant conversation. 

“Give me a minute, would you Nathalie?” he heard Mr. Agreste ask his assistant.

“Yes, Mr. Agreste,” said Nathalie. He watched her move to the side of the room. She was in full view of the open door and she locked eyes with him at his desk. Gorilla scowled at her. He wanted her to know he thought she was in the wrong.

Mr. Agreste was saying something, but he couldn’t quite hear it from where he was. He could tell by the tone, it was not pleasant.

“But, father!” he heard Adrien almost shout as he got up out of his seat. The kid was incredibly respectful and rarely raised his voice. He must have been very upset to be that loud. He heard Mr. Agreste’s voice again, but could not tell what was being said. Adrien again responded, softer this time. He sounded like he was pleaded with his father. Gorilla wished he could get closer to hear the conversation, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself and he really shouldn’t get involved.

“Because you are not like everyone else! You are my son!” he heard Mr. Agreste shout. He saw Nathalie nod to their boss and start talking to Adrien again. Mr. Agreste walked out of the room, his face was slightly flushed and he stood for a moment while he took a deep breath. Gorilla looked down at his laptop, avoiding eye contact. As soon as Mr. Agreste closed the door to his office, Gorilla saw Adrien stand up and walk out of the room. He ran up the stairs, like he couldn’t wait to get away from all of them. Adrien stepped through his door and slammed it behind him. Gorilla would go upstairs and check on him in a few minutes. The kid obviously needed some time to himself. 

He went back to work on his report. At this rate, he would never get it done and he would have to face Nathalie’s wrath for being late. As he started typing, he heard a loud boom from outside. He turned to look out the window when he saw Adrien running at full speed down the stairs. He threw open the door and stood on the front steps watching the action. All of the sudden, Adrien turned and ran back up the stairs to his room. 

The Gorilla went out the door to see what was happening. He saw a large stone being outside the gate. The police had it surrounded, but as soon as they hit it with something, the being seemed to grow larger. Gorilla shut the door quickly and leaned against it thinking. He needed to make sure everyone was in the house and secure before he enabled the security system.   
He ran to Nathalie’s office first. She was working at her desk. “Yes?” she asked, not looking up from her computer. 

“We need to secure the house. Check on Mr. Agreste while I check on Adrien,” he instructed. He moved to the stairs and ran up them two at a time. He could hear Adrien inside the room. He seemed to be talking to himself or the TV, which was blaring the local news. Gorilla decided not to go in the room, it wasn’t like the kid was going anywhere.

Gorilla moved to the kitchen to check on the rest of the household staff. Everyone was accounted for, except for Mr. Agreste. He found Nathalie and she nodded to him. She went into Mr. Agreste’s office to activate the system. Gorilla looked out the window in time to see a large building fall to the ground when the steel covers come down on the windows and doors. A loud boom shook the entire house. Gorilla shook his head in disbelief.

He walked up the stairs again to check on Adrien. He knocked twice and went in. The TV was still on, but the kid didn’t seem to be there. He walked to the bathroom door, which was closed. “Adrien,” he said through the door. “The house is on lockdown until this thing is over. I’ll be in the kitchen with the staff if you want to come down.” He paused waiting for an answer, but none came. The kid was having a bad day. If he wanted to be by himself, Gorilla would honor that.

He walked downstairs and into the kitchen where the rest of the staff had gathered around a small television. They watched the horror unfold in real time. Nadja Chamack was reporting live. Stone beings were now all along the path of the original monster. Gorilla wondered where the largest one was now. Nothing seemed to be happening outside the house anymore. He pulled out his laptop and looked at the live security footage. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. 

He decided to walk around the house and check all the rooms. He needed to do his mandatory lockdown check for the month anyway. Doing it now would save him some time later. He walked from room to room, checking the steel over the windows, the locks on any outside doors, noting any changes or updates that need to be made. He avoided Adrien’s room for now. The kid usually helped him with the checks, so he would know if anything was amiss in his room. Gorilla would ask him later if he needed to update anything.

He made his way back to the kitchen and heard Nadja Chamack tell everyone the threat was over and, according to eyewitnesses, superheroes had saved the day. Gorilla raised an eyebrow at that remark. Nathalie nodded to him and went to Mr. Agreste’s office to turn off the system. Light returned to the foyer and he could hear the staff cheer from the kitchen. He walked again from room to room to make sure the system had functioned properly. Just as he approached Adrien’s door, it opened and the kid walked out into the hallway. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and said, “I’m hungry, I’m going to the kitchen to get something to eat.”

The Gorilla nodded and put his hand on the kid’s shoulder, trying to comfort him as best he could. The kid looked up at him and beamed. The sudden change in attitude was strange, considering the day the kid had. Gorilla watched him walk down the stairs and decided a change in temperament must be something teenagers do. 

He walked back to the small writing desk in the foyer and got back to work on his report for Nathalie. He was going to turn it in on time, even if it killed him.


	2. Origins Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the Origins episode.

Gorilla walked by the kitchen after breakfast and heard the news report about the stone beings blaring from the small tv. They were still all over Paris, not moving, but still intimidating. The police seemed to have them partitioned off, but Gorilla knew, if they ever woke up, that wouldn’t protect Paris or it’s citizens. He wondered what it was like inside the beings. Were the people still in there, frozen? Did they know what was happening? He felt goosebumps along his arms. It was too awful to think about. 

He decided to grab a snack, so he doubled back to the kitchen. The staff were gathered around the TV watching the report. Ms. Chamack was talking about the new superheroes. He looked at the picture of them on the screen. They looked like kids, no older than Adrien. Gorilla shook his head. Kids shouldn’t have to deal with weird stuff like this. He had seen what the police had done, which was equivalent to nothing. Ms. Chamack seemed overconfident in the heroes. He hoped they proved her right, but he doubted it. He never really had much confidence in anyone but himself. 

He walked out the kitchen and upstairs to the main hallway. It was time for Adrien to come down for his daily homeschool lesson. Gorilla wondered what they would start with today. Adrien liked history, but he always got excited about science. He wondered if Adrien would follow in his father’s footsteps and go into the fashion industry or if he would do something he was passionate about. Mr. Agreste would have something to say about anything Adrien decided to do. Gorilla wondered if Adrien would ever get to decide anything for himself. His father was an imposing figure and Adrien rarely argued. But the future had yet to be decided and Adrien was always full of surprises.

He had just sat down at the small writing desk when Nathalie ran down the stairs from Adrien’s room. “Have you seen Adrien? He’s not in his room. I think he tried to go to school again,” Nathalie said. She looked panicked. Mr. Agreste was not going to like this.

Nathalie knocked on Mr. Agreste’s office door. “Enter,” he said. He stood at his desk looking over sketches for the summer line. They walked toward the desk together. Mr. Agreste was tall and the desk was set on a platform. Gorilla knew this was a common intimidation tactic and Mr. Agreste was nothing if not intimidating. Nathalie explained that Adrien was not in the house and they suspected he went to the school again. She was trying to explain it in a way that wouldn’t anger him, but it didn’t work.

“You didn’t see him leave?” Mr. Agreste said angrily. Then he raised his voice, “If anything happens to him, you’ll be responsible.” Gorilla and Nathalie both bowed to him and walked out of the room. Gorilla knew the threat of responsibility was more than just getting fired, there would be serious repercussions if anything happened. 

“Get the car,” Nathalie ordered, but he was already two steps ahead of her. He pulled the car around front and she jumped in the passenger seat. He turned onto the street, cutting off other cars in traffic. He heard horns honking in protest, but he didn’t care. 

They made it to the school quicker than they had the day before. If they had to keep chasing down the kid every day, he would have to find a faster way to get there. He pulled the car around in front of the school, with less tire squeals. The kid hadn’t quite made it to the front of the building yet. He didn’t know how he’d had gotten slower since yesterday, but at least they had caught him before he entered the building.

Nathalie jumped out of the car just as Adrien reached the top of the stairs leading to the entrance. She had left the door open this time. Gorilla chose not to get out of the car. There was no point. He heard her call to him, “Adrien! Don’t do this! Your father will be furious.” 

Gorilla couldn’t really see him from the car, but he could tell he wasn’t coming back with them. The kid’s orange shoes disappeared from the top of the stairs. He watched Natalie hang her head in disappointment. She slowly walked back to the car and got in. Gorilla looked at her. He had to wonder what she was thinking. Mr. Agreste was not going to be happy when they arrived home without him. 

She stared straight ahead, not daring to meet his gaze. “I’ll handle it,” she said exasperated. He started the car and drove away. He didn’t know what she meant by that, but he knew he was sure to lose his job over this. 

They drove back to the house in silence. They pulled into the gate and Nathalie sat in the car for a moment. Gorilla could tell she was gathering her thoughts, looking for a way to salvage the situation. It’s not like the kid going to school was a bad thing. She finally looked at him and nodded her head once at him, like she had made a decision. He watched as she got out of the car, straightened her jacket and walked up the stairs and into the house. He could tell from her stance she was determined. 

Gorilla put the car away in the garage and went into through the back and into the kitchen. It would be best to avoid any place Mr. Agreste might be. Gorilla was not looking forward to any future conversation with that man. He sat on a stool at the counter and poked at some gelatinous thing that was on the counter making it wiggle. He smiled slightly. 

He listened to the conversations going on around him. Most were talking about the stone beings that were still around town. Some speculated they would start moving again on their own. Others thought they would be like statues forever. One wondered aloud if their families knew. At that moment, Adrien’s personal chef opened the refrigerator and started shouting about camembert cheese. Adrien’s strict diet didn’t allow for much dairy, so Gorilla didn’t know why he was so mad about being out of it. 

Gorilla watched as Nathalie walked into the room. She walked to the pantry and pulled out a box of crackers then came and sat down next to him. “It’s taken care of,” she said. “You will drop him off and pick him up daily. I’ll be in charge of his schedule.”

She sighed and opened the box, putting one of the crackers in her mouth. She held out the box to him, offering him a cracker. He reached in and took one. He realized, after he bit into it, it was one of her low sugar, healthy crackers that tasted like cardboard. He chewed slowly and got up to get some water. He brought her back a glass and set it on the counter. She thanked him and took a long drink.

“We’ll have to work together to make this something the kid can handle. There might be some late nights driving,” she said. 

He nodded his understanding. “Whatever is best for Adrien,” he said.

She nodded her head slowly. “Agreed. He needs to leave this house. He needs to meet kids his own age. He needs to be out of his father’s reach.”

It seemed like an odd thing for her to say, but Gorilla didn’t say anything in response. He drank his water and watched the bustle of the kitchen around them. He and Nathalie sat in silence. After a few minutes, he went to put his glass into the sink when someone started to yell by the television. The staff quickly gathered and someone looked back him, “They’ve come to life.” Everyone was suddenly quiet as Gorilla pushed his way forward through them to see the television. Ms. Chamack was reporting all the stone beings were all headed in the same direction. 

Gorilla had to get to Adrien. It didn’t matter where the stone beings were headed. Adrien was in his protection and he had to make sure he was safe. Gorilla ran out of the house to the garage and got in the car. He sped to the school, not caring how many accidents he caused along the way. He pulled in front of the school. Students and staff were streaming out of the building, running in every direction. He got out of the car and raced toward the entrance. He pushed his way into the building, through the students and teachers rushing out. He had no idea which room Adrien was in. Did he have one teacher or many? They should have never let him come here.

There was a large boom from above. Gorilla looked up and saw stones and a cloud of dust come into the hallway from an open classroom. He hadn’t seen any sign of Adrien. Gorilla ran up the stairs two at a time and into the classroom. There was a large hole in the side of the building. It looked like whatever had been here had gone. Some of the kids were still in the classroom. He ushered them out and into a safer spot. He wasn’t sure about the structure of the building, or if the being would come back.

He searched every room in the school, but he didn’t find Adrien. He must have run out of the building when the attack started. The police had yet to arrive. He decided to go back to the original room where the attack happened. He would start his search over again. He walked into the classroom and found Adrien’s bag. He picked it up and looked inside. Pens, notebooks, the usual stuff. His phone was still in the bag. Gorilla shook his head. He couldn’t track him if kid didn’t have his phone on him. 

He heard helicopters overhead and looked out of the gaping hole in the side of the building. They were headed toward the Eiffel Tower. Adrien might have left the building, but he wouldn’t be stupid enough to follow danger. Except that he might. Gorilla immediately went to the car, still parked in front of the school and drove towards the tower. 

He arrived to see police vehicles and a large crowd that had gathered. He got out of the car and started the search for Adrien. He pushed his way through the mass of people when he heard the unmistakable voice of Gabrielle Agreste. Gorilla froze and listened, but he wasn’t saying anything that made sense. He looked up to see a large face in the center of the Eiffel Tower made of black butterflies. Gorilla’s eyes went wide until a small girl in red started capturing the butterflies with what looked like a yo-yo. Gorilla recognized the girl as the superhero Ladybug from the video on the news. The voice he had just heard couldn’t be Mr. Agreste, he must have been mistaken. The thought of Mr. Agreste being a large black butterfly head was too much to deal with right now anyway. He had to find Adrien and he had to do it now. He continued to push through the crowd. There was no point shouting for the kid, he wouldn’t have been able to hear him anyway. 

The crowd gasped collectively and Gorilla looked up to see Ladybug release white butterflies from her yo-yo. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen. He kept moving. He couldn’t get through the crowd very easily, despite his height and he signature scowl. This wasn’t working. Adrien might get hurt in this crowd. The people were pressing forward to watch the large stone being climb the tower, a girl clutched in his stone hand. A blonde kid in a black cat suit, Chat Noir he assumed, and Ladybug were close behind. Gorilla hoped this would be over soon.

There was another gasp from the crowd as the girl fell from the stone being. Ladybug jumped off the tower and grabbed her and the black butterfly almost simultaneously, then released a parachute saving both their lives. The Chat Noir somehow destroyed part of the tower and grabbed the guy who had been made of stone seconds before. Gorilla couldn’t peel his eyes from the scene. He watched in fascination as Ladybug threw the parachute in the air and ladybugs swarmed the city, making everything as it was before the stone being had ever started his rampage. Gorilla turned around to see the building that had collapsed was back where it had stood the day before. The part of the tower the Cat Noir had destroyed had been fixed. If Gorilla was very lucky, Adrien would be back at the school. 

He ran back to the car. It took a few minutes to navigate through the crowd, which was now rushing everywhere trying to see what had been repaired. He tried to drive directly to the school, but the police had blocked all the nearby streets around the school. Gorilla had to stop the car a few blocks away. He got out of the car and started to run towards the school. He ran up the stairs to the classroom where he had found Adrien’s bag. The door was back on the hinges. He looked in the window at the classroom and discovered Adrien sitting in the front row. The hole in the wall was repaired. It seemed like some sort of a miracle.

Gorilla put his back to the nearest wall and just took a moment to breathe in and out. He gathered his thoughts. The kid was safe. The city was safe. He headed out of the school and back towards the car. The police had started to gather up the partitions around the school and he made his way back to the house.

Several hours later, Gorilla arrived just as school was letting out for the afternoon. Adrien walked towards the car and paused before getting in. He knew he was in trouble. Gorilla could tell from his face, he was getting ready for disappointment. 

Nathalie greeted them at the door. “Adrien, you are to go to your room and stay there until further notice,” she said. Adrien nodded solemnly and went up the stairs, his head drooped. “Stand outside the door and make sure he doesn’t leave.” Gorilla nodded his head and followed Adrien. 

A few moments later, Adrien came out of his room. “I’d like to go to the kitchen, please.” He was always so polite. Gorilla shook his head no. “Okay. I’m pretty hungry. Can I have some food sent up?” Gorilla shook his head yes. He left his post for a few seconds to get someone from the kitchen staff to see what Adrien wanted to eat. He asked for a wheel of camembert and fresh fruit. He knew the kid didn’t eat dairy that much, so the wheel of cheese was suspect, but he had had a hard day and Gorilla didn’t want to pester him with unneeded questions.

Gorilla wanted to know where the kid had been during the attack. It wasn’t Gorilla’s place to question him. He would never tell anyone he had lost the kid during the attack. He was just grateful Adrien had ended up back at the school exactly where he was supposed to be.

Adrien stayed in his room the rest of the night. Dinner was brought up precisely at right time and the tray gathered an hour later. Gorilla heard talking from inside the room, but he figured it was the television.

He was finally relieved from duty by the night security guard. Gorilla went to his rooms above the garage and turned on his small tv. He was curious to see what the news were making of the miracle the ladybugs performed earlier. There was no new information, but the news seemed to love the new heroes. 

The next morning, Gorilla was at desk in the foyer when Adrien opened his door to come to the kitchen for breakfast. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchens. Gorilla followed behind ensuring Adrien couldn’t sneak out of the back door. Adrien ate breakfast in silence. He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a wheel of camembert and left the kitchen. He started to walk back up the stairs when he was stopped by Nathalie. “Adrien, get your things and meet us out front. We need to take you somewhere,” she ordered.

Adrien nodded and went into his room. Gorilla went to get the car. He would have told the kid over breakfast that he was allowed to go to school, but Nathalie had her own way of doing things. Adrien got in the car and they drove to the school. Gorilla parked the car directly in front of the school. Nathalie pushed a button on her tablet and Gabrielle Agreste appeared on the headrest in front of Adrien. 

“You disobeyed me, Adrien,” Mr. Agreste said as Adrien looked down at his hands. “Take a look at that school.”

He watched in the rearview mirror as Adrien turned to look out of the window at the school. “Yes, Father,” he said sadly.

“You will never, I say never, go back there again…”

Mr. Agreste was quickly interrupted by Adrien, “Father, I…” he tried to explain.

Mr. Agreste just continued on, not listening, “Without your bodyguard. He will drop you off and pick you up every day. Natalie has offered to organize your new schedule. You will be continuing your music, Chinese and fencing classes and your photoshoots.” Gorilla thought his tone was too stern for such good news, but it wasn’t his business. Adrien wasn’t his child.

“Thank you, Natalie. Thank you, Father,” Adrien said gratefully. He jumped out of the car and ran up the stairs to the school, never looking back. As soon as Adrien was in the door, Gorilla put the car in gear and drove away. 

Gorilla was grateful the rest of the day was uneventful. There were no attacks and no superheroes. Nathalie stayed in her office the rest of the day and only came out when it was time to get Adrien from school. He managed to finish several reports and get a jump on a few security checks.

They pulled up to the school and sat in the rain for a few minutes waiting on Adrien to come out. Nathalie didn’t say anything, just looked straight ahead at the rain on the windshield. He wondered what she was thinking. She was hard to read at times. 

Gorilla watched the front of the school. A dark-haired girl came out and looked out at the rain. She didn’t have an umbrella, so she stood in the doorway waiting. Adrien came out a second later and opened his umbrella. Gorilla saw him hand it to her. Adrien is a good kid he thought as he turned back to face the windshield. A few moments later, Adrien opened the door and got in the car. Gorilla looked in the rearview mirror and noticed Adrien smiling as he put on his seatbelt. He was glad the kid was finally making friends his own age.


	3. The Bubbler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's birthday has an unexpected twist when his best friend becomes The Bubbler!

Gorilla woke up early. He laid in bed, eyes open, but his body didn’t want to get up. He turned his head towards the clock. It was 5am. He tried to go back to sleep, but there was a thought in the back of his mind that was bothering him. He had forgotten something, something important. He rolled over and sat up, putting his feet over the edge of the bed. He grimaced in pain as his sore muscles flexed. Gorilla had made good use of the time Adrien was in school by lifting weights and jogging. He had always done those things, but now, with all the increased danger of Hawkmoth and the attack on Adrien’s school, he wanted to make sure he was ready for anything.

He turned on the TV and made some coffee. There was nothing new about the akuma attacks or Hawkmoth. He sipped his coffee slowly and enjoyed the quiet. After a while, he decided to get dressed, putting on his signature grey suit. He liked the suit, even if it wasn’t very comfortable. It allowed him to blend into the background. It was from the Agreste fashion line, so Mr. Agreste could not object, even though he knew it drove his boss a little crazy to see a suit from three seasons ago. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair and looked in the mirror. It was good enough. 

He walked from his apartment above the garage to the main house to start his day. He liked to vary the way he entered the house each day. It ensured no surprises and let him see what others did not. He was always on his guard. Today he entered through the kitchen. The smell of breakfast hit him as he came in. He was handed a plate of eggs, fruit, and whatever pastry the chef had whipped up that morning. He took it gratefully. One of the wonderful things about his job was the amazing food. 

Gorilla watched the bustle of the kitchen as breakfast was being prepared for the family. Adrien would have fruit and some sort of pastry with hot tea and lemon. Adrien has asked for coffee on several occasions, but his father claimed it was bad for his health and forbid anyone in the kitchen from giving him any. Gorilla thought it was ironic since Mr. Agreste downed at least six espressos a day. He knew the kid still drank it when he was out with his friends. Gorilla never said anything about it. If Nathalie knew, she would tattle to Mr. Agreste. Gorilla had long ago decided that if it didn’t hurt anyone and wasn’t illegal, he would allow Adrien to rebel when he could.

He finished his breakfast and was given a tray to take to Adrien in the dining room. When Adrien had started to attend school, Mr. Agreste had said he would eat breakfast with Adrien every morning. It happened once and now Adrien sat alone at the large dining room table everyday waiting for his father who never came. Gorilla found him today, alone, waiting for breakfast. He sat the tray down and Nathalie began to put the plates and cups in front of Adrien. It was an opportunity to go over his daily schedule and she took full advantage. He would never understand how any one person could love schedules so much.

Gorilla left the room and closed the door behind him. He knew he had forgotten something. It nagged at him. He shook his head and knew if he put it out of his mind for now, it would come to him. He looked at his list he had left himself the day before. Most of it could be done this morning after he dropped off Adrien. Nathalie opened the door to the dining room and walked over to him. “Adrien is devastated he can’t have a party,” she stated. “I hope his father got him a good birthday present to make up for it.”

Gorilla’s eyes went wide with realization. It was Adrien’s birthday. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten such an important day. No wonder the kid looked like he hated everything. He must be so disappointed. He decided right then he would try his best to make the day special for the kid. If his father wouldn’t step up then someone would have to. 

Half an hour later, Gorilla watched as Adrien got out of the car and greeted his friend, Nino. Gorilla had started to compile personal files on everyone in Adrien’s class. Chloe was the first, because she was his first friend and it was the easiest. Nino was second. Adrien seemed to make friends easily. He was all smiles and kindness, traits that would serve him well in the future.

Gorilla stayed in the car, trying not to seem too overprotective as he watched Adrien interact with Nino. They seemed like they got along well. They touched each other’s arms and Gorilla had to wonder how often Adrien was touched at home. Lately, it seemed his father didn’t see him except to yell at him and Nathalie didn’t touch anyone. Someone had to love the kid or he might start doing things he shouldn’t. He had seen the rich kids that had stopped caring about life and it never turned out well. Gorilla decided then and there, he would try to show the kid more kindness, to be there if he was needed. 

He watched Adrien go into the building. He put the car into gear and pulled away. Two blocks later, he pulled into the gate and around the back to put the car in the garage and walked towards the front of the house. He pulled open the front door and saw Mr. Agreste standing at Adrien’s door on the second floor. The door was open and he was peering in as if he knew he shouldn’t cross the threshold. He turned when he heard the door. “I came to wish my son a happy birthday, but he appears to have disappeared,” he said sternly. 

Nathalie ran out of her office and slid sideways on the floor. She stopped and straightened her jacket. “Yes, Mr. Agreste. Adrien’s bodyguard,” she motioned to him, “just dropped him off at school. Is there something we can help with?” Her voice was careful, like she didn’t want to set him off. 

“No, no,” he waved at her while still looking in Adrien’s room. “I just had a few moments to spare.”

“Mr. Agreste, your next appointment is waiting for you,” Nathalie responded as Mr. Agreste started down the stairs.

There was more to the conversation, but Gorilla didn’t care as long as it didn’t involve the kid, security, his schedule, or the house. He needed to get on with his daily security checks. He grabbed the tablet Nathalie insisted he have and started his daily walk around the perimeter of the house. It was a boring walk, which is what he liked. Exciting meant problems and he hated problems.

He did the rest of the checks and looked at the clock. It was time to get Adrien from school and take him to his photoshoot. He double checked he had his taser, knife, and his phone with him. He would be on bodyguard duty for the rest of the afternoon. He walked to the garage and got in the limo. Mr. Agreste insisted Adrien take the limo to photoshoots. Gorilla thought this was all for show and no one at the shoot ever cared what Adrien arrived in as long as he came on time and was professional. But he would follow instructions and take the limo. He scowled as he adjusted the mirrors, he hated driving the limo. 

He pulled up to the school and saw Adrien already outside talking to Nino. He watched Adrien say bye to his friends and come over to open the door and get inside. Gorilla looked in the rearview mirror. Adrien looked sad. It was in these moments he realized how much of a show Adrien put on for other people. Gorilla when the door opened again, Adrien would smile and be extremely charming, but that wasn’t what he really felt. 

The photoshoot went well. Adrien was extremely professional and the photographer made the comment that he had a long career ahead of him and hoped to work with him again. Luckily, Gorilla hadn’t had a lot to do. The photoshoot had been inside, which was great for a bodyguard. Only the people meant to be there would be there and none of Adrien’s “fans” could get in.   
After Adrien had changed and his makeup removed, Gorilla pulled the car around. Adrien got in all smiles and as soon as the door closed his smile disappeared. They drove back to the house in silence. Usually Adrien liked to listen to Jagged Stone after a photoshoot. But today, it seemed, was not a day for music. 

Gorilla drove to the front door. Adrien waited to get out until the large front gate was closed, as was protocol. Adrien opened the door and walked up the steps. Gorilla waited until Adrien was in the house to drive the limo back to the garage. He walked toward the front of the house and noticed the front gate was closing again. Nino stood outside of it looking back at the large house. Gorilla watched him for a moment before Nino turned and walked away. Something significant had just happened and Gorilla wondered what it was.

He walked in the house and felt the tension in the room. Nathalie’s face looked pinched, but she seemed calm. Adrien had just entered his room and closed the door. Gorilla looked a Nathalie for an explanation. She met his gaze and looked away. He wondered if it was in shame or anger or some other emotion he wasn’t privy to. She walked to her office and shut the door. Gorilla wondered if Adrien and Nino had an argument, but it didn’t seem likely considering what he had witnessed when he had picked him up at school. Most likely Mr. Agreste had done something or said something. He looked around for Mr. Agreste, but it seemed he had disappeared again.

Gorilla turned to close the front door and saw large bubbles floating down the street. Curious, he went out on the front steps. One came towards him and he reached out as if to touch it, but instead of the bubble popping, it enclosed around him sealing him inside. He started to float upwards. He turned his head in time to see Nathalie meet the same fate. She looked at him, her hands pressing against the bubble and her mouth moved, but he couldn’t hear her. He watched as she pounded on the bubble, her mouth continuing to move, but nothing worked. 

He looked down and saw they were passing over the large wall that surrounded the Agreste estate. He took out his knife and tried to puncture the bubble, but it didn’t work. He slashed at it, trying to score it, but nothing happened. He got out his taser and thought about tasing the bubble. He didn’t know what it was made of and he might accidentally hurt himself if he wasn’t careful. He looked down again. He was too high. If he popped the bubble now, he would fall to his death. He folded his arms across his chest and stayed still. He would have to conserve his energy and air supply. Gorilla wasn’t sure if it was possible to run out of air in this bubble, but he shouldn’t risk it. 

He worried about Adrien. He hoped people were only in bubbles if they had been out in the open. Adrien had been in his room, so maybe he wasn’t trapped. Gorilla pulled out his phone and opened the tracking app. Adrien’s phone was still at the Agreste mansion. That reassured him a little. He looked out at the other people in bubbles. There was something strange about them. He watched for a few moments and realized everyone in a bubble was an adult. He couldn’t find any children among them. At least they were safe on the ground. 

He put the phone away in his pocket and tried to get comfortable. He was too big for this small space. His shoulders were curved in and his neck was at an odd angle. His feet were going numb from his ankles being folded up. He tried to adjust himself and move. The bubble would move, but would always go back to it’s original round shape. He wanted to look to see how far off the ground they were, but he was afraid of what he might see. He had always been okay with heights, but he had never been this high before. He looked out in the direction he had last seen Nathalie. She was still there, but he could only see her back. Nathalie had never been good with heights and he hoped she was okay. 

Her bubble slowly turned and he could see she looked pale and her face was streaky as if she had been crying. She was also having trouble breathing, she looked as if she were taking in short breaths. If she didn’t calm down, she would pass out. He caught her eye and started to try to help her calm down. He made a big show of breathing in, lifting his hand as he did so. He opened his mouth, made an o, and breathed out pushing his hand down. He did it again and she began to copy him. She kept his gaze and he smiled softly at her. He wanted to reassure her and make her feel that everything was going to be okay. Finally, her color returned to normal. He could tell from the rise and fall of her chest that she was breathing better. 

He pulled out his phone to check the time. They had been in these bubbles for quite a while. He started to wonder about those superhero kids. He hoped they could end this soon, if they would be able to end this at all. He hoped villains in Paris were not going to be a regular occurrence. It was inconvenient and very annoying. 

Something caught his attention as it moved below him. A swarm of something red was coming towards all of them. He started to panic. It could be some other torment the villain had planned. He tried to move his body away, but his bubble was encompassed by red light and what looked like ladybugs. 

He found himself on the front steps of the Agreste mansion. Nathalie appeared next to him a few seconds later. He looked at her. “You okay?” he asked genuinely concerned.  
“Yes, I’m fine. You?” she responded, her hands placed behind her back and her face back to its normal annoyed expression. 

He nodded once and turned to go into the house to check on Adrien. He took the stairs two at a time and arrived at Adrien’s room. He knocked on the door and Adrien opened it and looked at him. The stared at each other for a few moments before Adrien spoke. “Is everything okay?” he asked. Gorilla once again nodded his head. He placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder and patted him affectionately before turning and walking down the stairs.

That night, Gorilla brought Adrien his dinner on a tray to the formal dining room. Mr. Agreste had said he would be joining Adrien, but he had yet to show up. The kid had waited half an hour before he finally gave in and requested the food be brought in. Gorilla sat the plates in front of him and returned to the kitchen.

He had failed to make Adrien’s birthday special and he had failed to make the kid feel loved. He left that night feeling as if he could have done more, although he didn’t know what that could be. He went to bed and closed his eyes, but sleep did not come easily.

The next day, Adrien was in an exceptionally good mood. He smiled during breakfast and he laughed at something on his phone. Gorilla wondered what had changed overnight. When it was time to leave for school, he came down with a new scarf around his neck. In the car, the kid rubbed the soft texture of the scarf between his fingers absently. He got out of the car and waved to his friends. Gorilla pulled the car into traffic and hoped Adrien would have a good day.

The following week, a large truck pulled in front of the gate. “Delivery for, uh,” the man flipped though some pages, “Adrien Agreste?” Nathalie let them through the gate and the driver and passenger got out of the vehicle. Gorilla greeted them and looked at the delivery slip he was handed. The two men opened the back of the truck revealing a large copy of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” but the faces had been replaced with Adrien and Chloe Bourgeois. The gold frame had a plaque that read “Happy 14th Birthday!” on it. Gorilla scowled while Nathalie sighed loudly. 

“What is this monstrosity?” Mr. Agreste said loudly as he walked out the front door. “How dare you deliver this ridiculous piece of trash to my house. Get rid of it immediately!” He turned and walked back into the house.

“Whatever you say,” the delivery man said. “Just sign here to refuse delivery,” he said. Gorilla signed on the space he pointed at. He was glad Adrien would never have to see that particular birthday present.


	4. Ladywifi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla gives Adrien some freedom.

It had been a very boring day at the Agreste mansion. Gorilla had already dropped off Adrien at school for his afternoon classes. He enjoyed getting to see him in the middle of the day. They had been together for the past three years every day and he found he missed him when the kid wasn’t around. The house just seemed empty and quiet. Nathalie stayed at her desk most of the time and Mr. Agreste disappeared so frequently, it was like he wasn’t around either. It was far too quiet. He sighed loudly and tapped his fingers on the desk. 

Maybe he should invest in some headphones and start listening to music or podcasts. He shook his head. That was a silly idea. He needed his ears and his eyes, especially with all the attacks that had been happening. He looked around the empty foyer and sighed again. Gorilla picked up his new tablet and looked at his file on Chloe. He had just updated it to reflect the horrible gift Chloe had tried to give Adrien for his birthday. Nathalie had insisted he start using the tablet instead of his laptop, but he hated it. He wanted his laptop back. He liked the tablet’s mobility, but he really missed his keyboard. He would have to insist Nathalie get him one to attach to it. 

He saved the file and opened the one on Nino. He hadn’t finished his report from the Bubbler incident yet. He still needed to review the security footage. When they had returned from the bubbles, nothing was amiss, but that didn’t mean anything as the Ladybug cure fixed everything. He tried to open the app on the tablet to view the video, but he did something wrong and it didn’t open. He tried again and another app opened instead. He shook his head in frustration. He closed the app and tried again. This time, it opened and he chose the date, time, and area he wanted to view. He added a stylus to his mental list of items for Nathalie to purchase.

He started with the area between the gate and the front door. He saw what he expected, a birthday party for Adrien. He watched Adrien enjoy the party, dance, and talk with friends. Gorilla saw Chloe drag Adrien on the dancefloor and his expression as she tried to get closer than he wanted. He was glad Adrien did not want to want to date Chloe. She didn’t seem like she would be a good fit for him. 

Suddenly, everyone on the tape looked up towards the wall surrounding the house. Gorilla switched views to another camera and saw Ladybug. The picture was pixelated despite the use of the best equipment money could buy. He would have to adjust the focus on the camera later. Gorilla couldn’t tell the expression on her face, but her stance indicated pride. She seemed to jump down to the street side of the fence. He switched cameras again and saw a bright light and the camera cut out for a few minutes. There was nothing but static until suddenly, the image was there again, but Ladybug was gone. 

Gorilla went back to his original camera of the party. He saw the dark-haired girl Adrien had given his umbrella to come in the gate. He paused the video and looked at his files to find her name. He found it with the photo he had pulled from a social media account. Her name was Marinette. He clicked back to the tape and watched her put something from the snack table into her purse. He thought it was strange, but kids did weird things all the time. She was greeted by her friend and they both went into the house together. He would look her friend up in a moment.

He switched cameras again to the foyer. Gorilla watched as the two girls went into Mr. Agreste’s office. He clicked a button on the tablet and looked at the girls from a different view. He watched them go to Nathalie’s desk to look at a present he knew Nathalie had given Adrien for his birthday. It was wrapped well, but not professionally, which is what Nathalie would have paid for as Nathalie rarely wrapped things herself. Gorilla started to grow suspicious that Nathalie had not, in fact, purchased that scarf. Marinette wrote something down and placed to on the present and kissed it. The realization hit him suddenly; Marinette was the one who had given Adrien his beloved scarf.

Gorilla knew Nathalie was an opportunist. He also knew she hadn’t purchased a present for Adrien before his birthday. He had assumed she had ordered it and had it delivered that day. He had to wonder what grown woman would steal a present from a girl to impress her boss. She had been lucky it was something nice and not something strange or juvenile. She was much more selfish then he had realized. 

He watched the girls leave the room and go back to the party. He continued to watch the festivities and noticed a very significant change in the attitudes of the partygoers. No one seemed to be having fun anymore. Their faces were sad, some looked like they hated being there. It looked as if the host of the party was also starting to notice something was amiss. The Bubbler was talking to someone. Gorilla enlarged the picture and it looked like the same kid that had turned into Stoneheart. Gorilla didn’t know the extent of the conversation, but it looked like there was an argument. He watched in horror as The Bubbler put the boy in a bubble. 

The rest of the teens were now cowering, afraid they would also go into bubbles. The Bubbler was angry as was evident by the way he moved his arms around. Gorilla watched as Adrien went into the house. The camera in the foyer showed him going to his room and not coming out. Gorilla couldn’t decide if he was happy he hid, or if he was disappointed he didn’t help his friends. Maybe he should start teaching the kid some self-defense or something that could help in these types of situations.

He switched back to the party and saw Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat Bubbler, but only after they themselves had been placed in bubbles. The kids made some mistakes, but overall, they seemed to have a good handle on how to fight. They were also in sync, something that usually took years to develop. He wondered if they knew each other in real life, or if they were truly strangers as they claimed. The ladybug miracle was released and he watched as he and Nathalie were set gently down on the front steps of the house, the party completely gone. 

Gorilla looked at the clock. It was time to pick-up Adrien from school. He made sure he had his knife and taser and went to the garage to get the car. He had just pulled the car into the street when he received a text message. He hit a button on the dashboard and an electronic voice read the text. Adrien would walk home today, no need to pick him up. Gorilla grunted in frustration. That wasn’t the agreement they made, but as long as he made it home within a decent amount of time, it would be okay. He drove around the block and parked the car back in the garage. 

Ten minutes later, Adrien walked through the door grinning. Gorilla gave him a look he hoped made Adrien feel bad about breaking the rules. Adrien looked at his face and quickly looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. Adrien walked up the stairs and went to his room, the door closing softly behind him. 

The night passed uneventfully. The news that night told a new story of the saviors of Paris helping other people in need. He wondered how much time these teens devoted to being heroes with all the other duties they had. Adrien already had so much on his plate, Gorilla couldn’t imagine adding more to his schedule. He went to bed wondering what it did to teens to not be able to just be teens. 

The next morning, Gorilla had made a decision. He would allow Adrien to move around without supervision as long as he was honest and followed some rules. Other teens were allowed some sense of freedom, why shouldn’t Adrien be allowed the same? If he knew where he was, he could make sure the paparazzi and fans stayed away. There hadn’t been any threats against the family in a very long time. Mr. Agreste was not a man you went against. He would tell Adrien about his new freedom as soon as they were alone in the car. Gorilla was going against Mr. Agreste’s wishes and there would be hell to pay if he or Nathalie ever found out.

Adrien got in the back seat of the car and looked at the Gorilla in the rearview mirror. “Hey,” he started as he lowered his gaze, “I’m sorry about yesterday. I know I broke protocol and I won’t do it again.” He glanced back up at him as Gorilla pulled out of the gate and onto the street.

Gorilla took a deep breath. “I need to know where you are, who you are with, what you’re doing, and you must be back by 9pm when my shift ends. I’ll cover you when I can with Nathalie and Mr. Agreste,” Gorilla said gruffly. It was the most he had ever spoken to the kid. He wanted to give him some room and some trust, but he wanted to make sure Adrien knew trust had to go both ways. He wouldn’t stay a kid forever and he needed to know how to live in the world without his father.

Adrien stared at him for a moment and then grinned. “Thanks!” he exclaimed. He opened the car door then turned and hugged Gorilla from behind. Gorilla patted his hand affectionately. Adrien got out of the car and went into the school. He was confident in his ability to protect Adrien from a distance. The kid was entitled to a little freedom. After all, how was he supposed to grow if he didn’t have experiences, make mistakes, and learn from them. 

He went back home and finished updating the files on Chloe and Nino. He pondered which file he should start next. Adrien didn’t seem close with anyone else yet. He would make more friends as time went on. He looked at the list of documents on the tablet. He had made a file for everyone of the students which had included a photo, but he hadn’t put down any information yet. He decided to start on Marinette’s file. She was the only person in the class, besides Chloe, who had bothered to give him a gift for his birthday. 

He was starting his online search when Natalie stopped by his small desk. “Have you seen Mr. Agreste? He’s not where he is supposed to be and he has a conference call in five minutes,” she said, annoyed. Gorilla shook his head. He had no idea where he had disappeared to. He never left the house unless he had a show or there was some sort of an emergency with the acclaimed fashion house. It was strange how often this seemed to happen. 

Later that afternoon, Gorilla got a text from Adrien. He was going over to Nino’s to study and would be gone until curfew. Apparently, he had a test in the morning and needed to be prepared. Adrien needed some time with friends and he also needed some space to be himself, so Gorilla texted back ok and left it at that. He would check his room and make sure he was home before he left for the night. 

Gorilla started to work on Marinette’s file again, but couldn’t concentrate. He was worried about Adrien. He couldn’t help it. It was his job to keep him safe and he felt like he wasn’t doing enough if he allowed Adrien to gallivant around Paris without supervision. But he also knew Adrien would never grow independent if he didn’t have some freedom to make his own decisions.

He decided to go to the kitchen. Maybe the noise and bustle would distract him from what could possibly be a career ending mistake. As he entered the kitchen, he noticed it was usually quiet. Everyone was gathered around the TV again. It was happening again, another akuma was attacking the city. This one seemed to be able to control the wifi, which allowed her to project video into the sky and make outrageous claims about who Paris’ heroes really were. Ladywifi had just claimed Chloe was Ladybug. Gorilla had to work hard not to start laughing at that. Chloe didn’t think of anyone but herself. He couldn’t imagine her putting herself, or her hair, in danger. 

The broadcast was quickly interrupted when Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up and Ladywifi’s theory was proven incorrect. Gorilla was glad Adrien wasn’t anywhere near where the attack was taking place. The décor in background of the broadcast had been from the hotel where Chloe lived. Nino’s house was near, but not close enough for Gorilla to go to Adrien. This akuma didn’t seem to be a danger to the public at large, just to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Gorilla looked at the time and suddenly remembered he was supposed to be covering for Adrien, so he grabbed a tray of food to take to his room. He didn’t know if the kid would have dinner at Nino’s house, so he made sure he had some food that could sit out and still be okay. He would have to get the kid a minifridge and a microwave if they were going to keep this up.

He took the tray to his room and left if on the table in front of the television. He glanced around the room and noticed the only thing out of place was an empty camembert cheese box on the couch. He picked it up and put it in the trash. The kid didn’t like camembert, so it was odd he would have a box of it. He put it out of his mind, there were other things to worry about besides the kid’s new dairy habit.

He went back to the foyer and tried to work on the file again. He opened the tablet and began his social media search on the girl. He hadn’t gotten very far when he noticed a bright light out of the window. It must be another broadcast from Ladywifi. He walked out of the front doors to see what she had to say. It seemed she had trapped Ladybug and was trying to pull the mask off her face, but it wouldn’t budge. Gorilla watched the battle as Ladybug and Chat Noir tried to defeat her, but Chat ended up in a freezer and Ladybug was locked inside the kitchen, helpless. The video ended abruptly. Gorilla knew this wasn’t over. She was going to try to force them to reveal themselves. They couldn’t stay in costumes forever. 

A few minutes later, Ladywifi started her video again, only this time, she was on the roof of the hotel. She started talking, but Gorilla wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying. He was distracted by the thought that akuma attacks could happen more frequently. He wondered if Paris was really safe from Hawkmoth as the police had claimed. It seemed teens had been the ones influenced by Hawkmoth, but it was only a matter of time before adults or children would be influenced. No one knew what the catalyst was which meant anyone could be a victim. 

He snapped back to attention when he saw Chat Noir fall from the freezer and into Ladybug’s arms. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. He watched as Chat Noir covered the camera with a saucepan and the video cut back to Ladywifi, then the sky went black. A few moments later, he could see something bright and red coming from the direction of the hotel. That must have been the Ladybug cure she released to make the world as it was before the attack. 

Gorilla went back inside and checked the time. It was past 8. He was a little glad Adrien wasn’t back yet. After the attack, he wasn’t sure if he wanted Adrien traveling across town alone. He pulled out his phone to text Adrien that he was coming to get him, when Adrien appeared from the kitchen door. He must have come in the side gate. The kid waved at Gorilla and smiled broadly. Gorilla nodded once and Adrien headed toward his room for the night. 

The night security guard came to his desk soon after and relieved him for the night. Gorilla took the short walk back to his apartment, grateful for his job and grateful the kid was responsible, capable, and could be independent. It was a relief.

The next day, Gorilla put in a purchase request with Nathalie for a stylus and a keyboard for the tablet, a minifridge, and a microwave. She didn’t ask any questions, just as he suspected she wouldn’t. The items were at his desk that afternoon. He took the fridge and the microwave and installed them in Adrien’s room. At least he knew the kid wouldn’t starve if he missed dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was hard to write. It feels clunky, even after editing it many times.


	5. Christmas Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien disappears on Christmas Eve and then is attacked by an akuma. Can Gorilla protect him and help make Christmas special?

Gorilla was out running last minute errands for Nathalie. He hated running errands. It wasn’t really part of his job, but it was Christmas and the house was understandably and extraordinarily sad, so he had agreed and taken her list. It seemed like the least he could do, but he was annoyed with the weather and the lack of Christmas spirit of the last-minute shoppers around Paris. He was tired and just wanted to go back to his apartment and forget this day.

Gorilla looked at the list Nathalie had given him. He had completed everything on it except one thing. Adrien had asked at the last minute if he could stop by the Dupain-Cheng bakery and pick up a chocolate yule log. The family had prepared one for each student in Adrien’s class. Adrien had wanted to go himself, but he wasn’t allowed to leave the house on Christmas Eve. Mr. Agreste had asked that he stay so they could celebrate the holiday together, although he doubted that would actually happen.

Gorilla sighed as he walked in the door of the bakery. Marinette looked at him and started mumbling to herself. He frowned at her. She was a strange girl. He wondered if she had always talked to herself. He stood there for a moment, waiting. He wondered if he was supposed to do anything special to get the yule log. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin to put in the donation box in the corner of the bakery without looking at it. He watched as Sabine, Marinette’s mother, put a log in the box as Marinette headed up the backstairs. 

“If you’ll just wait a few moments, Marinette has a gift for Adrien she was hoping you would deliver,” she explained. He nodded his understanding and took the log from her. 

He stood there quietly observing the bakery. The father, Tom, was humming as he took things from the oven and happily placed them somewhere to cool. Sabine had a contented smile on her face. The bakery was decorated for Christmas and felt cheerful and warm. It was so different when compared to the Agreste mansion. 

He looked to his right and saw the life-sized cutouts of Chat Noir and Ladybug. He looked closely at Chat Noir. There was something familiar about him. Maybe it was just the blond hair, but he reminded him slightly of Adrien. The only difference was the ridiculous smile the cat had on his face. It looked completely fake. Adrien would never smile like that for the camera, he was far too professional. 

Gorilla took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. He put the phone back in his pocket and sighed. He had been waiting several minutes and he needed to get back before Nathalie’s schedule was interrupted for the night. Mrs. Dupain-Cheng had noticed his discomfort, “There’s no need to wait,” she smiled at him, “We can deliver the gift some other time. I’ll let Marinette know. Have a Merry Christmas!” He nodded and turned to leave. 

It was cold outside and he shivered slightly as he walked towards the car. Suddenly, he heard a voice, “Excuse me! Wait!” He turned around to find Marinette following him. “If you don’t mind, this is for Adrien.” She handed him a neatly wrapped present with a large bow. “Can you wish him a Merry Christmas, from me, that is,” she continued. Gorilla looked at her. It was so cold outside and she wasn’t wearing a coat. She was still talking as he got into his car and started it. He hoped she would go back inside the bakery where it was warm, but she continued to stand there even as he drove away. 

Marinette seemed like a sweet kid. She was the only person in Adrien’s class who gave him presents for his birthday and now Christmas. Well, except for Chloe. Gorilla cringed as he remembered the painting she tried to give him for his birthday. Chloe might turn out okay, but she had to stop thinking about herself.

He stopped the car as the gates of the Agreste mansion opened and then he drove to the door. He would normally pull the car around to the side door and unload things there, but it was cold and he was hoping Nathalie would help him, since she was the one who made him go out on Christmas Eve. 

Gorilla walked in the front door and saw Adrien and Nathalie decorating the extremely large tree in the foyer. They seemed to be talking about something important, but he couldn’t hear what it was. He watched as Adrien hung his head and started walking towards the stairs. Gorilla caught up to Adrien and touched his arm gently. Gorilla handed him the present Marinette had given him. He hoped it made Adrien feel better about the holiday. Adrien didn’t look at him as he took the gift and thanked him quietly. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out Adrien’s melancholy was due, in part, to Gabrielle Agreste. He was turning out to be a terrible single parent. Mrs. Agreste had been gone for almost a year and yet, he couldn’t seem to get out of the depression and it seemed to consume him. He had put all of himself in his work and his sadness leaving nothing for his son. He wasn’t trying to make excuses for the man, he should be a better father, but it had to be hard to lose the love of your life so suddenly and then have to look into the eyes of the child who had her eyes every day.  
Nathalie and Gorilla watched sadly as Adrien ascended the stairs and closed the door softly behind him. He looked so unhappy and so much like a small child in need of love. Nathalie huffed and walked into Mr. Agreste’s office. Gorilla hoped she would talk some sense into him, but he doubted it. He was too much in his own head to think about anyone else. 

Gorilla sighed as he realized he would have to unload the car himself. He pulled the car around to the side entrance and started unpacking the last-minute presents and decorations. It wasn’t the way he would have chosen to spend his Christmas Eve. He would have liked to be in front of a fire, reading a good book, with a nice cup of hot chocolate. 

He left the packages in a storage closet Nathalie had designated to him earlier and began taking off all his winter gear. He threw them on top of the packages he had left, hoping they would disguise the gifts until Nathalie had a chance to deal with them. 

He started to walk to the kitchen to find something hot to drink as the clock struck the hour. Gorilla noticed Mr. Agreste walking up the stairs with a large box under his arm. Gorilla was glad he was finally going to see Adrien. All the kid wanted was to be loved by his father. It would be nice for them to spend some time together. Gorilla knew Mr. Agreste didn’t know his son at all. Maybe if they spent some time together, he would see what a wonderful son he had and want to spend more time with him. 

Gorilla was in the kitchen when he heard Mr. Agreste yell from inside Adrien’s room. He rushed up the stairs, Nathalie not far behind. It wasn’t clear what was happening as they entered the room until Gorilla saw the open window. The kid must be gone.

“Go and find him immediately! Immediately!” Mr. Agreste shouted at them. Gorilla had never seen such anger on his face. He turned and grabbed his coat and hat from the storage closet where he had left them earlier. 

“I’ll start calling around to see if he went to someone’s house,” Nathalie said. Gorilla nodded his head in agreement. He went outside to the car and got inside. He knew Adrien hadn’t taken his coat or hat with him as they were in the coat closet in the front hallway and not in his room. He had to wonder how long would he survive on his own in this weather. Gorilla had to find him fast. He pulled the car around to the front of the house and headed toward the school. He didn’t know where else to start, but since the kid had run away to the school before, he might have gone there. 

He drove slowly down the street looking for any sign of Adrien. It was snowing heavily, so there were no footprints leading from Adrien’s window to the street below. Gorilla had known the kid was upset when he had gone upstairs, but he hadn’t realized he was so upset he would jump from a second story window to escape. Gorilla had given Adrien freedom to roam the city as he pleased, but he would have to rethink that now. Adrien needed freedom, but he also had to follow the rules. 

After an hour, he hadn’t found Adrien. He had tried to call Nathalie, but no one was answering the phone. He drove back to the house to see if he could find out some information. He decided to go through the kitchen to ask if anyone had see Adrien. Maybe the open window was just a coincidence and he hadn’t dropped down from a second story, but had gone out of the side door like he had before. 

He walked in the kitchen and noticed everyone was extremely busy preparing Christmas dinner for the family. It seemed no one had told them Adrien was missing. It would have been easy for the kid to sneak past all this chaos. Talking to anyone here wasn’t going to be much help.

He decided to go to Adrien’s room. Maybe he had left a note or something. He walked into the room and looked around. The window was still open. He looked out and didn’t see any footprints, but there was a handprint in the snow on the windowsill. It was about the size of Adrien’s hand. He would have to ask the kid later how he had left the house and take some preventative measures to stop it happening again.

Gorilla walked around the room. The desk was clean, no notes or papers lying around. He wiggled the mouse to bring up the desktop on the computer, but there was nothing out of place there either. His bed was neatly made and in perfect order. He looked in the trash can next to the desk and found it was also empty. The present he had given him from Marinette was missing. He hadn’t opened it or there would have been wrapping in the trash. 

He heard a sound behind him and found Nathalie in the doorway. “I think he’s been kidnapped,” she said.

He looked at her and shook his head. “He left,” he said. He knew it wasn’t a kidnapping. The kid had gone because he was sad and lonely. He could see it written on his face every time he looked at him. He only seemed happy after akuma attacks, which was strange, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now. 

Gorilla and Nathalie both heard the yelling downstairs at the same time. It was Mr. Agreste. Nathalie looked at him, “I’ll go check on him,” she said as she turned to leave the room. Gorilla decided to follow her. He walked slowly down the stairs, thinking about what had made Adrien feel like he couldn’t stay here. Gorilla had felt like that before, like he just couldn’t stand to be somewhere one more minute. 

He hated that Adrien had felt like that, especially in his own home, the place that should be a refuge. He hated that he couldn’t help him in the way he wanted to. He wanted to offer advice when Adrien had problems or felt overwhelmed. He wanted to be able to Adrien confide in him. Maybe Nino could be that person. He knew Mr. Agreste would not and could not be that, not now anyway.

“Adrien’s home!” Nathalie said turning to him as he walked down the stairs. He grabbed his coat and hat and quickly put them on. He opened the door to walk out with Nathalie. The gate opened and he saw Adrien standing in the snow with a blanket around his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red fly through the air. He must have been talking to Ladybug. 

Nathalie called to Adrien and he turned around. His head drooped and he started to walk slowly towards them. Nathalie reached out for him and put her arm around him, as if to comfort him, as they walked back up the front steps together. Gorilla knew the gesture was more about exerting control over the kid. Nathalie didn’t do affection.

They walked into the warm house. Gorilla had assumed Mr. Agreste would be there to greet his son, but he had disappeared again. Adrien was shivering, but he didn’t know if it was from the cold or if it was from the excitement. Gorilla took off his coat and hat and then took the blanket from Adrien. 

Adrien hurried up the stairs. “Where are you going, Adrien?” Nathalie asked him. 

Adrien turned back towards her, an angry look on his face. “To my room, of course. Since my father isn’t celebrating Christmas.” Gorilla was taken aback. Adrien was being disrespectful, which was completely out of character for him. He tried to remember the last time Adrien had an attitude and he couldn’t think of anything. He was brought back to attention by Nathalie tapping him on the shoulder. He moved towards Adrien. Gorilla understood, he was now on babysitting duty for the rest of the night. 

Nathalie didn’t flinch at Adrien’s impertinence, “Of course he is, Adrien. Your father came to see you earlier, but you had gone out. I’ll tell him that your waiting for him.” She was a pro and she should be after all those years of dealing with Mr. Agreste. She knew how to handle people.

Gorilla firmly placed his arm around Adrien. He didn’t want to startle the kid, but he knew Adrien needed understand he wasn’t going anywhere. Adrien looked back at Nathalie, he was still so angry. “Just making sure you’ll stay in your room this time,” Nathalie practically sang. She was enjoying this, which made Gorilla angry. She should be able to see the kid was upset and needed some comfort, not ridicule from the adults in his life. 

Gorilla walked into Adrien’s room with him. He normally stood outside the door and let the kid have his privacy, but since he didn’t know how Adrien had left his room, he couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t do it again. Adrien flopped down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Gorilla stood directly behind him. He wasn’t going to let him out of his sight again.

“Do you have to stand there?” Adrien looked back at him. Gorilla looked at him and moved his hands behind his back. Adrien sighed and picked up the remote control to the television. He picked up his game controller and started a game Gorilla didn’t recognize. He played for a few minutes, but Gorilla could tell he wasn’t paying attention to it. 

After a few minutes, Adrien threw the controller down on the couch and got up. Gorilla watched him walk toward the bathroom when suddenly, he saw a giant object flying towards Adrien’s window. He gasped in surprise as the object didn’t crash into the window, but instead came through the glass, like magic. Green smoke filled the room and it was a moment before Gorilla realized it was an akuma and it was in Adrien’s room. Gorilla was horrified. He had to get the akuma out of the house. He had to get to Adrien without making the situation worse. 

He looked at the akuma carefully. It looked like Santa Clause, except he wasn’t like any Santa he had ever seen. He looked evil. His sleigh was flying right above Adrien. He could tell Adrien was confused and frightened. “Santa Clause?” Adrien asked as he seemed to cower away from the akuma. 

“Not anymore!” Santa exclaimed as he started singing and doing a strange dance. Gorilla took the distraction as an opportunity to get between Adrien and the sleigh. He tried to put his body between them, but there wasn’t enough space, so he put his arm out to protect him. 

Santa pulled a box out of thin air and it exploded covering the room in spiders. Gorilla hated spiders. It was the one thing he couldn’t stand. There was one on his foot and it was crawling up his pants. He started to panic. He tried not to, but he ran towards the door. He wanted to scream, but he held it in. He had to get away from the spiders. He stopped to see if Adrien was okay, but the spiders were quickly crawling towards him. He opened the door and ran out closing it quickly behind him. 

He looked down. The spider that had been on his leg was gone. He leaned against the wall and tried to calm down. His breathing was heavy and labored and he could still feel the scream he had stifled in his throat. He wanted to throw-up. Gorilla had to get back to Adrien, but he couldn’t protect him if he couldn’t catch his breath. He closed his eyes, but he could still feel the spiders on him. He shuttered, a chill running down his spine. He opened his eyes again, but he couldn’t get the image of them on the floor out of his head. 

He put his back to the wall and tilted his head back so he could look at the ceiling. Maybe if he changed his view he could calm down. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. He did it again, slowly and deliberately. He could feel his heart rate start to slow. He needed to check on Adrien. He took another deep breath and took a step away from the wall. He had to go back into Adrien’s room. Gorilla shook his whole body and mentally prepared himself for a room full of arachnids. 

Gorilla put his hand on the doorknob, took another deep breath, and opened the door. The spiders were gone. He was relieved he didn’t have to try to work up the nerve to deal with them. He looked around the room. There was no sign of Santa, or whoever he was. He looked around for Adrien, but he had also disappeared. The kid was in big trouble if he had disappeared again. He walked around the room and noticed Adrien’s computer monitors were on and the bathroom door was closed. Adrien must be in the bathroom. Gorilla decided he wouldn’t disturb him. The kid was having a hard night and deserved some time to process everything that had happened.

He walked around the room for a few more minutes. He checked under the sofa, under the desk, and anywhere else spiders might hide. He knew he only had the confidence to check because he knew they weren’t there. He didn’t find anything unusual, except for the exceptionally clean room. Gorilla was constantly amazed about how clean the kid was. He thought about his own apartment, which currently had his pajamas laying on his bed, which was also still unmade. He guessed he just never learned to care about tidiness.

He finished his search and found nothing. He walked out the door and closed the it behind him. Adrien was safe and in his room. He walked down the stairs and saw Nathalie looking at her tablet at the bottom of the stairs. “Is Adrien okay? I heard some sort of commotion,” she said.

Gorilla nodded his head, “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Good,” she stopped and looked up at him, “I can’t find Mr. Agreste again. I swear he disappears every single time I need him for something.” She shook her head in frustration. Gorilla shrugged. He thought back to all the times Nathalie had asked if he had seen Mr. Agreste. It seemed strange he disappeared during akuma attacks. He probably had a panic room in the house, but didn’t want anyone else to know about it.

“I’m going to make some calls. Adrien’s friends will want to know he’s safe,” Nathalie said as she turned towards Mr. Agreste’s office. Gorilla went to the closet where he had hidden the decorations and presents. He decided he should start wrapping presents for Nathalie. It was the least he could do since she had been busy all night. He carefully wrapped boxes of presents for Adrien and Mr. Agreste. He hoped they had a good Christmas, despite the drama that had occurred. 

He heard a sound on the stairs and saw Adrien coming down. Nathalie stood at the door to Mr. Agreste’s office and ushered him in. He didn’t hear what was being said, but he knew Adrien was probably getting yelled at as that was the only form of communication Mr. Agreste seemed capable of lately. 

Nathalie came out of the office door and opened the front door. Gorilla smiled as he saw all of Adrien’s friends and some of their family members at the door. He stood by the stairs and watched as Nino rushed Adrien to give him a hug. He was so glad Adrien had amazing friends. 

Gorilla was shocked when Mr. Agreste agreed to allow everyone to stay to have a meal in the formal dining room. He didn’t know what Adrien had said to him, but he was glad his father was taking a positive and active role in his life. He hoped this would be a turning point in their relationship. 

He watched as the large group of teens and their parents sat around the table and shared a meal. Everyone looked so happy and some of them even sang. Gorilla couldn’t help but be moved by the joy he felt radiating from the room. Christmas wasn’t turning out to be so bad after all.


	6. Dark Cupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla discovers Adrien's crush on Ladybug.

Adrien had not looked happy in the car that morning on the way to school. In fact, he seemed like he was concentrating very hard on something. He had a piece of paper he was writing on, but when they pulled up to the school, he wadded up the paper and put it on the seat next to him. He put the pen he had been using back in his bag and closed the bag. “Thanks,” he said bleakly as he left the car, the wad of paper completely forgotten. It wasn’t like Adrien to leave trash in the car. Gorilla thought about going after him, but the kid obviously didn’t want it, so there was really no point.

He made his way back to the house and decided today was as good as any to clean the cars. He started with the inside of the sedan. He picked up the wadded piece of paper and looked at it. He wondered if he should read it. Would it be an invasion of privacy? It was probably just homework he had been struggling with, but it might also mean he needed tutoring. He decided he should open it and let Nathalie know if he was struggling with something. 

He unfolded the paper and flattened it out on his leg. He was surprised to see it was a letter:

My Lady,  
I have loved you from the first moment I saw you. I want to tell you how much I love you. You are beautiful and kind. You are smart and witty. I cannot imagine my life without you as my partner.  
Will you be my valentine?

The letter was unsigned, but Gorilla knew it belonged to Adrien. He wondered who this girl was that Adrien was so in love with. He had no idea the kid had a crush on someone. It had to be someone from his school. He didn’t have contact with anyone else. Gorilla smiled. He was glad the kid was having some typical human interactions with other kids his own age. Adrien was constantly surrounded by adults and this was a good sign that he could have some normalcy in his life. He would have to go through his files of the people in his class and see who it might be. 

He continued to clean the cars, first wiping down the interior, then washing and waxing the exterior. It didn’t take very long, but by the end, he was dirty and needed a change of clothes. He put the cars away and went to his apartment to get cleaned up.

Thirty minutes later he found himself at his small desk looking through his tablet at files of the girls Adrien might like from his class. He had assumed it was a girl from the “My Lady” at the start of the letter. He hoped it was Marinette. She seemed kind and considerate. Her hobbies included things like fashion, which Adrien would have knowledge of and be interested in. He had seen her with Adrien a few times while Gorilla had been waiting in the car. She always seemed nervous around him. She obviously liked him. It would be a nice match, in his opinion. 

He let his mind wander and he remembered a time when he had been 15 and had been in love. Michelle had been beautiful, long brown hair and big brown eyes. She had been tall, which he had liked because of his own height. He remembered writing bad poetry and stealing kisses after school. He smiled to himself. They had gone on dates and spent most of their time together until Gorilla had committed a small crime and she had not been pleased. Gorilla had not always been the upstanding citizen he was now. He remembered her tear-stained face as she had realized what he had done and the way her gaze had changed when she looked at him. He had been heartbroken, which had just fueled his need to rebel more and more. He wondered what had happened to her. 

He was jolted out of his thoughts as Nathalie came to his desk. “Just a reminder, Adrien has a piano lesson after school tomorrow,” she said as if he didn’t get the daily schedule e-mail, the calendar reminders, and it happened every week on the same day. She must be having a bad day if she felt like she needed to remind him of such trivial matters. He wanted to say something to her, but he chose to stay silent and glare at her instead. She walked away, but not before returning his glare. She was never one to be intimidated.

Gorilla checked his watch. It was time to pick-up Adrien anyway. He put away his tablet, made sure he had his gear, and went to get the kid from school. 

Adrien was waiting as he pulled up. He still looked dejected. Gorilla wondered if he had told the girl he liked her and been disappointed in the answer. He didn’t know how anyone would reject the kid, but it was possible. Gorilla opened the door and Adrien got in mumbling, “Let’s go.” He sounded so sad. 

Adrien opened his bag in the car and got out another piece of paper and started writing. He could see the kid concentrating on whatever he was working on. Gorilla wanted to ask if it was another love letter, but he refrained. It wasn’t his place. 

They pulled up to the house and Adrien got out, the paper and his phone forgotten in the backseat. Gorilla put the car away in the garage and grabbed the objects. He looked at the paper and discovered Adrien had been writing a poem. He smiled. The kid reminded him so much of himself at that age.

Gorilla walked though the kitchen and up the stairs to Adrien’s room. He knocked on the door and moment later Adrien opened it, a pen in his hand. Gorilla handed over the poem and the phone. “You should call her. Ask her to get a smoothie. I can drive you,” he offered. 

Adrien shook his head, “I don’t know her number.” He looked up at him, “Thank you,” he said quietly as he shut the door.

Gorilla was confused. He could get anyone’s phone number and Adrien knew that. He stood looking at the closed door for a moment. He put his fist up to knock on the door again, but he didn’t. He put his hand down and slowly walked back to his desk. He wanted to make it better for the kid, but he didn’t know how. 

He worked on his report about Adrien’s fencing lessons earlier in the week. He had some time until the mail came. Today and tomorrow would be the worst day for mail and deliveries. Strangers and fans of Adrien and Mr. Agreste always sent gifts to the house on Valentine’s Day. Before Mrs. Agreste had disappeared, Mr. Agreste hadn’t received many gifts, but at Christmas, several presents, letters, and even marriage proposals had come in the mail. Adrien always received gifts from fans. It was Gorilla’s job to go through all of them and make sure there was nothing too crazy. 

An hour later, he had turned in his report and mail had been dropped unceremoniously on his desk. The pile had overflowed and some of it was on the floor. He pulled out a letter from the middle of the heap and more fell. He rolled his eyes and opened the letter. It was a standard love letter from an admirer, nothing too insane. He put it in the box for Adrien’s room. He opened the next one and put it in the box for Mr. Agreste. Several letters later, he found a note threatening to have Adrien expelled if Mr. Agreste didn’t marry the author. He put it in a box that would go to the police. This went on and on until there were four neat piles: love letters and presents to Adrien, business mail to Mr. Agreste, love letters to be thrown out, and things to make notations about and go to the police. Adrien’s pile was the largest and Gorilla was grateful the pile for the police only had a few things in it. 

He took the mail up to Adrien’s room and put it on the desk. The poem he had been working on was there. He picked it up and looked at it. He was no expert, but he could tell poetry was not one of Adrien’s talents. He wanted to make some changes, but he knew he shouldn’t help. If the girl was worthy of him, she would love the poem. He read the poem and tried to figure out who he was going to give it to. Dark hair, blue eyes, disguise? He put the paper down and looked around the room. A Ladybug figurine was laying on the desk next to an empty camembert box. It was then he realized: Adrien was in love with Ladybug. 

It was obvious now. That’s why he couldn’t call her and why he was struggling so hard to write a poem. He wanted to impress a superhero. Adrien was impressive on his own. His looks alone usually had fangirls swooning, not to mention his academic accolades, fencing, basketball, he was multilingual, and could make beautiful music. Ladybug would be lucky to have Adrien as a boyfriend. He just hoped Adrien wouldn’t get his heart broken.

He left the approved mail on the desk and left the room. He didn’t know what to do. Should he talk to Adrien about having unrealistic expectations, or should he just leave him alone? He walked back to his desk worried about Adrien and worried about the impending heartbreak. No one knew anything about Ladybug. For all he knew, she could just appear when needed out of thin air and not be an ordinary girl as she appeared to be. 

He could see the appeal. She was special and Adrien deserved someone just as special as he was, but Gorilla knew she would never be able to accept him. He had read enough comic books as a kid to know a superhero would never be able to reveal their true self to a civilian. It would put too many people in danger. He hoped, if Adrien got a chance to tell her about his feelings, she would reject him gracefully.

He knew they had met at Christmas, but they hadn’t had any contact since then. Gorilla was confident Adrien’s crush would fade over time. Maybe he could help steer the kid to someone else more appropriate for him. There were lots of kids in his class that might be good to date, Chloe being the exception. He would just have to find the right one to promote to Adrien.   
The next day, Gorilla took another batch of mail to the kid’s room. The influx of mail from Valentine’s Day would keep coming in over the next few days. Gorilla thought it was the most annoying holiday. The mail alone kept him busy for weeks; following up on all the people who were obsessed or threatening the family. He put the mail on Adrien’s desk and looked to see if the poem was still there. Instead, he found one heart shaped card with a poem very similar to the one Gorilla had seen the day before. 

He had remembered reading it when he had gone through the mail the day before, but it didn’t occur to him it was similar until now. It wasn’t signed, but it did look like it was someone Adrien knew. The poem Gorilla had seen couldn’t have been the first one Adrien had written. Most likely, this was from someone at his school. It would be easy to get a handwriting sample from the kids in his class. He fingered the note and narrowed his eyes. He could investigate and find out who it was, or he could do his job and leave it alone. Gorilla sighed, he shouldn’t interfere in the kid’s personal life until it was necessary. His job was to protect the family, not try to get Adrien a date.

He walked back to his desk and sat down. He looked at his watch. It was almost time to pick-up Adrien and take him to piano lessons. He grabbed his keys and his gear and went to get the car. He would have to try to put the poem, the mystery admirer, and Adrien’s love life out of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few of my headcannons: Gorilla is an Adrienette shipper and Nathalie is an annoying coworker.


	7. Climatika or Stormy Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla knows Adrien's secret.

Gorilla sighed as he held the reflective white circle. This was not part of his job. Holding photography equipment while a crazy amateur photographed Adrien was not something he had signed up for today. He didn’t know what favor this guy had done for either Nathalie or Mr. Agreste, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t worth this. 

Adrien was being a good sport about it. He had picked his own clothes, done his make-up, and was being as professional as he could, under the circumstances. Gorilla was proud of the kid. He took the instructions the photographer was giving him in stride and tried his best to “enjoy some spaghetti,” as the photographer put it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gorilla saw some of Adrien’s classmates come into the park. They were close to the school and most of the students lived in the area, so it wasn’t that surprising they would come to the park on such a nice day, but he wondered if there was another reason they were there. He soon guessed their motives when he watched Marinette awkwardly do a toy soldier march, attempting to seem casual. It was another confirmation of her crush on Adrien and she was obviously trying to get his attention. He smiled to himself, kids were funny.

“Big man! You have to hold the reflector like this,” the photographer said indignantly as he adjusted Gorilla’s arms to a different angle. Gorilla glared at him and the photographer gulped audibly. He wanted to rip the arms off the man, but he refrained.

When the photographer turned back to continue the photography session, Adrien had been distracted by Marinette who was waving awkwardly. Gorilla thought about asking the girls to leave. This photoshoot was bad enough without Adrien getting preoccupied by his classmates. He was glad when Adrien came back to attention and the photoshoot continued. Gorilla was hot in his suit and really just wanted this to be over.

A few minutes later, he saw the girls watching the photoshoot. Adrien could see them, too. Gorilla watched as Adrien’s whole attitude changed. Gorilla could tell the kid was enjoying being watched by such as receptive audience. He didn’t often have spectators for his photoshoots. Gorilla smiled again. He knew Adrien had a crush on Ladybug, but he also was curious if Adrien might have a crush on Marinette or Alya. 

Gorilla’s thoughts snapped back into focus as the small girl with Alya and Marinette started to cry and carry on. He wasn’t used to small children. He walked over to the group of girls and glared at them. He was a little surprised Marinette didn’t flinch as he stood a little too close and leaned in. It was a simple intimidation technique, but it always proved effective. The little girl grabbed onto Marinette’s leg and they quickly moved away to get the balloon the girl so desperately wanted. 

He had never been around kids that much. Adrien was ten when he started working for the Agreste family. He had seen pictures of Adrien as a child, but he couldn’t imagine him as being small or throwing a fit over a balloon. Adrien had always been mature for his age. He wondered if Nathalie knew anything about Adrien as a young boy, but he doubted it. Adrien had been close with his mother. There had never been a nanny or any other caregiver in his life. 

Gorilla watched Adrien as he posed and smiled for the camera. This wonderful, kind child was probably heartbroken with the loss of his mother. Gorilla became more resolved than ever to be the type of adult Adrien needed in his life. He sighed and thought about his bad attitude over the course of the day and was disappointed in himself. If Adrien could be this professional about this horrible photoshoot, then the least he could do was approach the job he was supposed to do with a different attitude. 

The next few minutes were uneventful as the photographer talked to Adrien and tried to get him to try new things, without any actual direction. Gorilla didn’t understand how Adrien was supposed to give the photographer the poses he wanted if he kept talking about eating spaghetti. Adrien yawned. They had been at this for a few hours and Gorilla knew he must be getting tired. Usually photoshoots had a clear vision the photographer wanted and Adrien could give them that vision quickly. He was a professional, after all. 

The photographer decided Adrien needed to pose with a girl. Gorilla didn’t think that would help. Adrien was tired and he needed a break, not to pose with an amateur that would just get in the way. But the photographer insisted and started approaching random women and girls in the park. Gorilla rolled his eyes as everyone refused until he came to Alya sitting under a tree, eating an apple. Gorilla watched as Alya ran over to get Marinette at the carousel. It confirmed his suspicions that Marinette had a crush on Adrien and that was the reason they were at the park.

He watched Marinette start to walk over when something solid and clear came down over the carousel, trapping Alya and the small child inside. Gorilla dropped the reflector and started toward the ride when a girl, floating in the air, started to blast things in the park. His first thought was to protect Adrien. He turned back towards the fountain he had been sitting at, but the kid was gone. Gorilla looked around frantically and finally saw Adrien near the photography equipment boxes. He started to run to him, when he saw a bright flash of green. Adrien was gone and Chat Noir now stood in his place. 

Gorilla stopped running. He stared after the hero of Paris, his breathing heavy. He watched as Chat Noir ran towards the akuma. The kid had no fear, he did not hesitate. Gorilla started toward the fence Chat Noir was now leaning against. He had to stop him from fighting whatever this girl was. He was almost to the fence when the girl lifted her umbrella and sent the kid sailing through the air. 

Gorilla was thrown backward by the same gust of wind and fell to the ground hard, hitting his head in the process. He lay on the ground for a moment, catching his breath and mentally going over his body to see if anything was hurting more than it should. He touched the back of his head. There was no blood, but it was tender and he could feel a large bump forming. He let out a low groan as he put his feet under him and lifted himself off the ground. He had to get to Adrien. He started running out of the park and down the street in the direction Chat Noir had flown. 

His head throbbed with each step and he had to slow his pace. He felt his stomach start to turn. He stopped and put his hand against a nearby wall. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt his knees bend and hit the ground, his hand slid down the wall slightly. It was the only thing keeping him from falling over. His ears were ringing and his vision was starting to blur.  
A small figure walked toward him. He tilted his head trying to focus on the person. They had dark hair and seemed about his size, but that would be impossible, not many people were his size. He realized then he was still kneeling on the ground. This person had to be small. He blinked trying to clear his vision. “Ladybug?” he asked confused.

“No, it’s Marinette’s mother, Sabine,” the figure answered. “Come inside. The weather is turning and you look like you need to sit.” She gently took his arm and lifted it as if she could help him up. It took some effort on his part, but he put one foot on the ground in front of him and lifted himself up. His stomach flipped again. She took his hand in both of hers and led him through the door of the bakery. “Tom,” she called out. “I need some help out here, please.”

“Coming!” a cheerful voice responded. Gorilla looked up and saw a large figure walking toward him. “Let’s get him to the back.” He felt a large hand take his other arm and lead him to a large, industrial kitchen. His vision was starting to return to normal, but the light reflecting off the stainless steel surfaces of the appliances and counters was painful. He closed his eyes as Tom helped him sit on a stool next to the large island in the center of the room. 

“Sabine, do you think you could get him an ice pack? There is a bump on the back of his head.” An ice pack was placed in Gorilla’s hands and he put it gingerly to the large bump, but it hurt too much to keep it there. “Would you like some water?” Tom asked him.

Gorilla tried to shake his head, but it was too painful. “No, thank you,” he responded quietly. “I have to find Adrien.”

“Was he at the park?” Sabine asked, umbrella already in hand. “I’ll go try to find him and bring him in.” She started towards the door.

“No,” Gorilla said, “he’s,” he paused searching for the right words, “away,” he finished. He closed his eyes and tried to gather his thoughts. Everything was so simple a few moments ago and now everything was so complicated and confusing. It would be better if he head wasn’t audibly pounding. The sound almost drowned out everything else in the room. It was so hard to concentrate. 

“No, no, can’t go to sleep!” Tom said. “Let’s have some coffee and talk a little. Maybe eat something? I’ve been working on some new items and I think Marinette and Sabine are tired of trying them.”

Gorilla blinked at him without understanding. He pushed the ice against his head and winced at the pain. He closed his eyes again and saw Adrien, then a flash of green, and Chat Noir. It didn’t make sense. He opened his eyes again when he heard a plate being set down in front of him. It was a croissant, a glass of water, some aspirin, and a cup of coffee. He breathed in the pleasant aroma. 

“I know you said you didn’t want anything, but just in case you change your mind,” Sabine smiled as she gently touched his shoulder. 

“You’re Adrien’s bodyguard, right,” Tom asked as he kneaded some dough. “I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced. I’m Tom. And this is Sabine,” he said gesturing to his wife.  
“Gorilla,” he responded. 

“Is that a nickname?” Tom asked. Gorilla nodded his head. 

He squeezed his eyes shut. The pain was overbearing. He opened his eyes and looked at the plates before him. He took a small sip of water and waited for his stomach to lurch. When it stayed calm, he swallowed the aspirin and took a small bite of the pastry. It was delicious. He devoured it and the coffee quickly.

Gorilla watched Tom for a time, grateful he didn’t want to have a conversation. He kneaded dough, cut out cookies, baked, and filled items with cream. He could tell he loved his work. Tom was patient and took care to do things right. Gorilla seemed to find himself surrounded by a family who was full of life. It was so different than the atmosphere he was used to. His thoughts turned to Adrien and again he saw the green flash of light and Chat Noir. It made no sense. 

He tried to get up. He didn’t know how long he had been there, he needed to find Adrien and help him. He felt his head start to move in small circles and he felt dizzy. He put his hand down on the counter to steady himself and sat back down. He closed his eyes and put the ice pack back on his head. He had been there too long, but he didn’t have any choice but to sit there and stay still until he felt better.

“So, Sabine and Marinette have been helping me test some new pastries, but I need other opinions. Would you mind?” Tom smiled at him and began filling tubes with some sort of cream. “I’ve been working on my cannoli recipe. I know it’s supposed to have a ricotta based filling, but I wanted to try some things.” He set several plates before Gorilla and nodded at him, encouraging him to try some. 

Gorilla looked at them. He couldn’t leave yet, so he might as well humor the man. He took a bite of the first one. It was filled with a chocolate cream. It was rich and sweet, but overpowering. He made a face and Tom took the plate away. “I think that one is too much, too,” he said. “Try this one,” he pointed to one filled with a pale yellow cream. Gorilla took a bite and discovered a slight lemon flavor. He nodded his approval and Tom smiled. He took a sip of water and looked at the rest of the pastries. 

He took a bite of the next one, which had strawberries in it and he smiled. Strawberries had always been his favorite. He tried the rest, but none stacked up to the lemon and the strawberry. “These two,” he said pointing.

“That’s what Sabine and Marinette think, too,” Tom said with a smile. “How’s your head?”

Gorilla shrugged. It was tender, but he wasn’t dizzy anymore and he felt like he could stand up without falling over. He should try to go look for Adrien and help him, if he could.  
Sabine came into the kitchen, “The clouds have cleared and it looks like the sun is shining again. I’ve never seen weather this strange,” she shook her head. “Is there anything I can get you?” she asked Gorilla.

“No, I think I should go. Adrien needs me,” he looked around. “Thank you for your hospitality.” 

“No, thank you for taste testing. Come back anytime!” Tom smiled and held out his hand for a handshake. Gorilla took it and shook the man's hand gratefully. 

He turned to Sabine and she smiled at him as she held out a bag of pastry for him and a to go cup with water in it. “I added in a few more aspirin for you, just in case you need them,” nodding toward the bag. He nodded his thanks and walked out the door.

The sun was blinding and hurt his eyes. He felt in his pockets and found his sunglasses and put them on. He sipped the water and prepared to face Adrien. If all had gone well, Adrien should be himself and in the park with the photographer. He walked through the fence and saw the kid at the fountain, right where he should be. 

He watched from a distance as the photographer brought over the small girl that had been throwing a fit earlier. Adrien seemed awake and energetic. Gorilla thought back to the other akuma attacks. He had thought Adrien had always been in his room, but he hadn’t actually seen him there. He had assumed the kid was in the bathroom most of the time, but now he knew and everything seemed to make sense. The kid’s crush on Ladybug, his energy after the akuma attacks, his sudden disappearing acts. 

He walked over to the photoshoot and held up the large reflector again. Gorilla had some decisions to make and he needed to decide fast. Should he tell Adrien he knew? Should he try to train the kid in some combat techniques? What about Ladybug? Could he help her? His head was starting to throb again. He touched the spot gently and the pain intensified. He would have to be content to just let his head heal and make some decisions later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of this was inspired from the anime "Food Wars," which I have been watching lately. 
> 
> I've always thought Gorilla knew what was going on. And Adrien and Marinette transformed in really public places sometimes. They were bound to get caught at some point.


	8. Chronogirl or Timebreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla gets more than he expected when he takes Adrien to Trocadero.

Gorilla walked up the steps of Trocadero. He could hear Adrien and his friend’s excitement as they talked and laughed. The kid had told him he wanted to go to a race today. Gorilla was happy to drive him anywhere he wanted to go. He knew he could just transform into Chat Noir and leave his room, but he was glad he hadn’t done that. 

Gorilla hadn’t told him he knew about Chat Noir. It was the kid’s secret and he didn’t want Adrien to feel betrayed. He had made a few suggestions to the kid, like asking if he wanted to go for a run before school and asking if he wanted to learn some boxing moves. Gorilla knew Adrien was great on defense, based on his fencing experience, but he didn’t know if he knew how to throw a punch. It could come in handy later. Adrien had said yes to running and no to boxing. 

He stopped to look over the concrete barriers that divided the stairs and the fountains below. He just wanted to check to make sure Adrien was having a good time. He took out the small pair of binoculars he had started keeping in his pocket. Adrien was smiling and laughing with Nino. He watched as Chloe ran over and put her arms around Adrien’s neck. It looked like she was going in for a kiss. Adrien turned his head and gently pushed her away. Gorilla chuckled. Chloe was not one to give up easily. 

He saw someone running from a distance and he moved the binoculars in that direction. It was Marinette with something large under her arm. He realized that if someone came to kidnap or attack Adrien, he was in a very poor position to protect him. Gorilla wasn’t really worried about it. The threats and strange mail from Valentine’s Day had been checked and none of them were credible. He hadn’t received any indication something was coming to harm Adrien, so he decided to give him some space. 

He watched as Marinette unfurled a large banner. She looked proud and he could hear the teens excitement as they saw her creation. Gorilla put the binoculars back in his pocket and continued his walk up the stairs. He had started carrying the binoculars when Chat Noir had disappeared in the wind storm created by Stormy Weather. If he could have just seen Adrien was safe, maybe he wouldn’t have worried so much. Plus, now, it meant he could keep some distance while still knowing what was happening. 

Gorilla saw an empty bench ahead, so he went to it and sat down. He was suddenly surrounded by pigeons around his feet. They inched closer as if they wanted something. Someone must be feeding them. He glanced up and noticed the sign that read: Please Do Not Feed the Birds. He rolled his eyes and the pigeons inched forward a little. Maybe if he ignored them, they would go away.

He leaned back into the bench and titled his head back, basking in the sunlight. It was warm and wonderful. It was such a lovely day out. He was glad Adrien and his friends had decided to spend some time outside. All of the sudden, he felt something on his leg. He looked down and saw a pigeon had landed on his knee. He shooed it away and moved his feet around to shoo the rest of the birds. They moved back a few feet, but didn’t leave. 

The cheering from Adrien and his friends was getting louder. The race must have begun. He sat on the bench watching the tourists as they passed by. He could always tell the tourists from the Parisians. Tourists stopped to take photos and point at things; Parisians walked with a purpose. 

He was still listening to the teens cheers when they stopped suddenly. Gorilla got up from the bench and pulled out the binoculars. He watched as Alix picked up small pieces of something off the ground. She was crying. It looked like there was some sort of argument happening. Alix started to skate away and Marinette ran off after her. Gorilla wondered what had happened to change the mood so suddenly. He looked back to see Adrien talking with Chloe. He didn’t look happy. It looked like he was arguing with her about something. Then Adrien’s face changed suddenly as he looked past Chloe in the direction of where Alix and Marinette had gone.

He turned back to the girls expecting them to still be talking, but instead there was an akuma. Akumas were distinctive from other people, even when they weren’t made of stone or flying around with a bow and arrow. Alix had changed into something futuristic and other worldly. He couldn’t quite explain it. She went after Kim first. Gorilla saw him fade from existence after she touched him. He shuddered involuntarily; her touch was certain death.

He heard Adrien’s voice shout something, but he couldn’t make out what he said. He turned back to the teens and watched them scatter. Gorilla took off, running around to the nearest steps that would take him down to the fountains. He had to get people away from the area. As he descended the stairs, he saw Ladybug try to slow down the akuma as much as she could. Gorilla saw the akuma call out to one of the students and touch her. She started to fade immediately. He looked for Adrien and saw him run behind a tree. With a flash of bright green light, Chat Noir emerged. He would have to talk to the kid about finding better hiding places to transform.

Gorilla saw a woman with a stroller. He ran to her and helped her quickly carry the stroller up the stairs to safety. He ran back down the stairs and tried to quickly and quietly alert people to the danger. He thought about phoning the police, but he knew the only people who could take care of this were Adrien and Ladybug. 

Gorilla turned in time to see Ladybug approach the akuma. It looked like she was going to try to reason with her, but somehow, Ladybug ended up in a vulnerable position. Chat Noir jumped in front of her just in time to receive a touch.

Gorilla watched as Adrien started to fade. He felt his knees give way and he fell to the ground. His chest hurt and there was a huge lump in his throat. Adrien was dead. Adrien was dead. It kept repeating in his mind. He put his head in his hands and started to weep. He had never felt so helpless before. He had failed and Adrien was dead as a result. 

Gorilla’s thoughts raced. Why had he worried about other people when Adrien had needed his help to defeat this akuma? Why hadn’t he told the kid he knew about his secret? There were so many things he should have done differently. So many things he could have prevented if he had just done his job and stopped worrying about Adrien’s emotional wellbeing. Now he was gone and Gorilla was left with nothing. The kid had been everything to him. He hadn’t realized how much he had loved him until just this moment and he was devastated at the thought of losing the only son he would ever have.

Through his closed eyes, he saw a flash of light.

Gorilla sat on the bench with his eyes closed, the sun on his face. He could hear Adrien and his friends in the distance cheering on the race. He was so glad the kid had friends he could just spend an afternoon with doing silly things like racing. 

All of the sudden, the cheering ended. Gorilla got up from the bench and pulled out his binoculars. Everyone was looking up at the tier above them. He turned his binoculars and saw Ladybug and some sort of futuristic looking person. His heart began to beat faster. Gorilla knew it had to be an akuma. 

Gorilla turned back to watch Adrien, but instead saw Alix crying and holding something in her hands like it was precious. Suddenly, a black bubbly light surrounded her and she looked exactly like the akuma they had been watching. Gorilla didn’t know what was happening, but whatever it was wasn’t good.

He had to get people to safety as quickly as possible. He started to run down the stairs. He saw a woman with a stroller, panic in her eyes, trying to make her way up the stairs. He grabbed the bottom of the stroller and helped her. He started down the stairs again. He had confidence Chat Noir and Ladybug could handle whatever was happening. He could help by clearing the area of unnecessary spectators. 

He had spoken to several people when Chat Noir decided to destroy one of the sculptures that decorated the fountains. Gorilla ducked down and covered his head to avoid the dust and debris that came down on him. He shook his head. That art was irreplaceable. He hoped Ladybug hurried up with cure that fixed everything. He dusted himself off and watched as people scattered. He had to admit, that one move was more successful and getting people out of the way than anything he had been doing. 

There were still people gawking at the destruction and what was happening with the akuma. He went one by one and told them it was dangerous and to run. Some listened, some didn’t, some didn’t speak French. Suddenly, there was a red light and ladybugs surrounded him. He found himself on the bench, surrounded by birds, the sun shining down on him. 

He got up quickly and went to see where Adrien was and if he was safe. He watched though the binoculars as Chat Noir smirked. He could tell from his body language that he was flirting with Ladybug. Gorilla’s heart broke for him as she took off a second later. He looked so disappointed. 

Gorilla sat back down on the bench and waited for Adrien to decide he was ready to go home. After a few minutes, his phone buzzed. It was Adrien asking to pick him up where he had dropped him off. He texted back and went to get the car.


	9. Mime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was supposed to be a simple drive to see a play, but it turned into a disaster.

Nathalie had been acting strange lately. Gorilla had tried for days to speak with her about the plans for the play, but she kept disappearing. It was like she had a secret passage she could vanish into. She would be there one minute and as soon as he would try to find her for something, she would be gone. 

He knew she had to have found some sort of secret hiding place to get away from Mr. Agreste. He had become angrier and more determined than ever to make everyone in the house miserable. It was time for the company’s designers to present their newest creations for fall. Production was still months away, but these things had to be decided and plans made. Gorilla could see why Nathalie needed a few minutes of respite. 

Gorilla heard shouting coming from inside Mr. Agreste’s office. The door was closed, but he heard everything that was being said. A few moments later, the door opened and designers rushed out. A few looked like they would cry. Gorilla didn’t know why they couldn’t have these meetings at Mr. Agreste’s official office on a weekday. He had even offered to drive a few times, but Nathalie had told him not to worry about it. 

Gorilla sighed and wished Nathalie would share her hiding spot. He could use a break from the never-ending yelling coming from Mr. Agreste’s office. He decided to walk around the house, do his security checks, and see if Adrien needed anything. It was Saturday and he hadn’t seen the kid all morning, which was unusual. 

He walked outside and took in a deep breath. It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day. He opened the gate and walked out, making sure the gate worked properly. He started around the large wall checking for cracks, graffiti, or anything else that could be wrong. He was honestly surprised the designers hadn’t come together to write nasty things on the wall behind the house. He knew he had been tempted a few times.

He came back inside the gate and made his way around the exterior of the house. He was taking a little longer than usual with his morning checks. It was a nice morning and the quiet was gave him a sense of calm he couldn’t get inside of the house right now. He looked up at the house towards Adrien’s window and saw it was open. He wondered if the kid had gone out or if he just wanted some fresh air. 

Gorilla walked back in the house though the front door and peeked in Mr. Agreste’s office to see if Nathalie was there. He still needed to talk to her about the play. After a quick look, he knew she wasn’t there, but he did see Mr. Agreste on the phone, his face contorted with anger. Gorilla closed the door quietly and walked away, hoping he had not been seen. He made his way up the stairs and went to Adrien’s room. He knocked on the door and when no answer came, he opened it and walked in. 

He saw the bathroom door was closed. He went and knocked on it. Again, there was no answer. He had to assume the kid had transformed and gone out the window to save someone in need. He hoped it wasn’t another akuma attack. He liked it more when Adrien and Ladybug saved random citizens and cats from things like trees. It seemed safer somehow. Gorilla checked the mini fridge and cleaned out the old food. The kid was almost out of camembert. He would have to replenish his supply. 

He walked downstairs to the kitchen and scraped the old food from plates into the trash and put the dishes into the dishwasher. He didn’t like adding to the kitchen staff’s workload if he didn’t have to. Gorilla sat down at the kitchen counter and watched the staff prepare for the week. He noticed the television was on. It was turned on the news and Gorilla found himself watching the latest exploits of Ladybug and Chat Noir. The newness of the heroes of Paris had faded and the kitchen staff no longer stopped to watch the latest akuma attacks. Gorilla still hadn’t told Adrien he knew. He didn’t know if he ever would. 

He watched as Adrien, in his Chat Noir suit, kneeled to talk to someone draped in an emergency services blanket. He looked gentle and sincere. Ladybug was in the foreground talking to reporters, but Gorilla couldn’t help but feel grateful that Adrien was so kind. He didn’t know how the kid had gotten a miraculous, but whoever had given it to him made the right choice.  
When the news story ended, Gorilla got up and started raiding the fridge for leftovers, pre-made sandwiches, and cheese. He took a large tray of food and drinks up to Adrien’s room and restocked the fridge before the kid could get back. He didn’t know how fast he could move with his staff, but Gorilla wanted to be out of the room when he came through the window. He finished quickly and was closing the door when he heard a loud thump in the room. He stood there for a moment trying to decide if he should reveal what he knew when he heard someone, not Adrien, talking in the room.

He opened the door just enough to peek in and see if it was an intruder. He was surprised when he saw something small and black floating in the air talking to Adrien. The kid didn’t seem to mind the creature, so Gorilla closed the door silently. He stood in the hallway with a confused look on his face. He had heard Adrien talking to himself many times, but he had assumed he was just thinking aloud, not actually having a conversation with something that seemed magical. He walked back to his desk, unsure of what to do with the new information.

Nathalie finally appeared right before lunch. “We need to go over the plans for tonight,” she said as she typed on her tablet. 

“Time?” Gorilla asked.

“Adrien and Mr. Agreste will have dinner at 5pm. The car should be ready to leave for the play at 6. The play starts at 7 at the Eiffel Tower,” she responded. “We are a corporate sponsor, so Adrien and Mr. Agreste will have seats on front row and will be recognized after the play ends. You should return home by 10pm.” 

Gorilla nodded and brought up a diagram on his own tablet of the Eiffel Tower with the makeshift stage and seating laid out. “Adrien and Mr. Agreste will be here,” he said pointing. “I will be here, watching the tower and grounds for anything suspicious. I’ve already done background checks on all the actors and ticket holders. There are no concerns.”

“Good,” her voice matter of fact. “I’ll see you at 5.” She turned and walked into Mr. Agreste’s office. Gorilla liked that Nathalie was not much for chitchat. He wasn’t much of a talker himself and appreciated brevity. 

He walked to the kitchen and retrieved the lunch tray for Adrien. He walked it up to his room and knocked on the door. Adrien opened it, his phone in hand. “Oh,” he said absently, “Thank you.” He put the phone in his pocket and took the tray. He looked up at Gorilla, “Nino just asked me to come over. Would that be okay?”

“I’ll be ready in 15 minutes,” Gorilla said.

Adrien came downstairs a few minutes later, ready to go. Gorilla dropped him off and let him know he would be picked up at 4:45 exactly. Adrien just smiled and nodded. Gorilla watched as Adrien went inside Nino’s house. He was glad the kid had friends outside of his Chat Noir duties. He knew all too well how a job could take over your life.

He drove back to the Agreste mansion and had lunch. He finished his reports for the previous week and emailed them to Nathalie. The house was quiet. Mr. Agreste had disappeared again, so the yelling had ceased, for now. He leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the rare quiet moment alone. 

Adrien was waiting for him at the exact time Gorilla had told him. They drove back to the house in silence. There was an feeling of dread in car. Gorilla knew Adrien did not like to have meals with his father when he had been in a sinister mood all day. He didn’t blame the kid, anything could set the man off when a collection was on the line. 

Gorilla parked the car and they both went into the house. Adrien went to his room to put away his things and Gorilla went to check in with Nathalie. He opened the office door and looked inside. Nathalie was at her desk. He opened the door wider and went to her desk. “Mr. Agreste has more work than expected. He won’t be joining Adrien for dinner,” she stated matter-of-factly. She didn’t even bother to look at him. “He will also be joining us at the play instead of driving with us. Have the car ready at 6.”

He left the office just as Adrien was coming down the steps to go to dinner. He watched the kid enter the dining room, his head drooped with dread. Gorilla sighed and went to the kitchen to get Adrien’s dinner. He walked the tray back to the dining room and set it down in front of Adrien. 

The kid looked up at him, “He’s not coming to dinner, is he?” Gorilla shook his head and Adrien sighed. “All right,” he said as he picked up a fork and started moving his food around on his plate. He looked up at Gorilla again. “Thank you.” Gorilla nodded once and left the room as Nathalie entered. He walked back to the kitchen and heard Nathalie going over the evening schedule.

Gorilla had a quick bite to eat in the kitchen before going back to his small desk. He sat down and pulled out his tablet to go over the security for the evening one last time. He looked into the dining room when he heard a voice. He watched Adrien pick up a piece of cheese and hold it out. He watched as it seemed to disappear under his white shirt. It was like something small had come out and grabbed it, but it was too small for him to see from his desk. He knew it had to be whatever he had seen earlier. He wanted to march into the room and demand to know what it, but that wasn’t the way to approach the situation. If he did that, it would only drive Adrien away.

Adrien finished his meal in silence and went to his room to change for the play. Gorilla cleared the meal from the dining room, wiped the table, and brought the tray to the kitchen. He double checked his gear and made sure he had everything. When he was done, he stood by the door and waited for Adrien to be ready to leave. 

Nathalie came of out the office just as Adrien came down the stairs. “Your father will join us at the play,” she said to the kid. He didn’t say anything, just sighed loudly. They got into the car that was parked in front of the house. 

They had only driven a few blocks when Nathalie’s phone started to vibrate, indicating she had a call. He watched in the rearview mirror as she looked at the caller id and rolled her eyes. She hit a button and put the phone to her ear. “Yes, sir,” she paused to listen. “Understood sir. I’m sure he’ll understand sir,” she said as she hung up the phone. 

Adrien looked at her, “My dad’s flaking isn’t he? Let me guess, something came up?”

Nathalie’s face showed no emotion, but her tone was sympathetic, “Yes, but he’s reserved the best seats in the house for you, Adrien. Front row.”

Adrien sighed, “As usual the best money can buy.”

A flash of red seemed to jump in front of the car. Gorilla swerved quickly and hit the brakes to avoid hitting whatever it was. When the car came to a stop, Gorilla saw Ladybug swinging her yo-yo trying to protect the car. Adrien started to roll down the window and Gorilla heard Ladybug’s instructions. He quickly opened the door and got out, staying low to the ground. He opened the back door and pulled Nathalie out, instructing her to stay low to the ground as well. 

“Get behind the car,” he growled to her. As she crawled away, he reached for Adrien, but he was staring at Ladybug and she was staring at him. He scowled. This was not the time to be mooning over each other. The spell was quickly broken when something hit the side of the car, hard. Adrien got out of the car and went to the back, joining Nathalie. 

Gorilla walked low to the rear of the car and motioned for everyone to run with him to the nearest building. They ran. Gorilla’s heart was racing. He hadn’t had time to assess the situation and didn’t know what they were dealing with. He didn’t know if Adrien was under attack or if it was an akuma, which had their own agendas. He needed to get everyone to safety.

They ran behind a building, away from the attack. He turned to make sure everyone was there, but Adrien was gone. Nathalie looked at him for a moment before she realized Adrien was missing. He could see the panic cross her face. Gorilla knew exactly what happened; Adrien had transformed and was now helping Ladybug. He didn’t know how he was going to hide this from Nathalie.

She took in a large breath and started to say something, but Gorilla glared at her and she shut her mouth. He walked around her to the corner of the building and looked around carefully. He didn’t see anything, so he walked slowly, keeping close to the side of the building. Gorilla could hear Nathalie behind him. She was so close, he could hear her breathing. He approached the next corner of the building and he looked at the street. He didn’t see anything out of place, so he turned his head to look at the front of the buildings they had been hiding behind. He felt Nathalie try to move around him and he put his arm in front of her and gently pushed her back to the wall. 

He could see Chat Noir and Ladybug talking, but he couldn’t see an akuma or any danger. He straightened and took a step out into the open. Nathalie was still behind him. “Stay,” he commanded. She gulped and nodded her head. He walked toward the pair of superheroes. He watched as Chat Noir took his staff and grabbed Ladybug then shot straight up into the air. He looked up after them and watched as they fell purposefully to the ground several blocks away.

Gorilla didn’t know how he was going to explain this to Nathalie. He went to the front of the buildings and pretended to look in the front of the buildings for Adrien. He took his time. He had to make a good show of it and it gave him a little time to think of what to say. He turned back halfway down the block and saw her peeking around the corner. He rolled his eyes. She had never been that good at following instructions. 

He sprinted back to the corner where Nathalie was waiting. “He’s not here,” he said. Her face lost all color and she looked like she was going to faint.

“He’s going to be so mad,” she said desperately. She put her hands to her face. He didn’t know why she was reacting like this. He didn’t know she cared so much. 

He put her hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. “There is a Metro station over there. I got him a pass a few weeks ago. He must have taken a train to the play.” 

She didn’t seem to be paying attention to what he was saying. Her eyes darted back and forth and she seemed terrified. He led her back to the car and opened the door. He had to put her in the front seat of the car. She looked at him desperately. She needed answers, but he had none to give her. 

He walked around to the other side of the car, surveying the damage from the akuma as he went. He still didn’t know what he had been firing at them, but it left sizable dents in the passenger side of the car. He hated popping out dents. He briefly wondered if he could ask Mr. Agreste to take it to a body shop for repairs. 

He got in the car and put on his seatbelt. He looked at Nathalie. She had started mumbling to herself. She looked like she didn’t know what was happening. He took off his seatbelt and leaned over to put hers on. It seemed to awaken something in her. “I can do it!” she exclaimed suddenly, anger in her voice. Gorilla nodded and leaned back into his seat and put his seatbelt on and turned on the car. 

They drove toward the Eiffel Tower in silence. Police cars passed by them, sirens blaring. Something was wrong. Traffic came to a dead stop a few moments later. They sat in silence until Nathalie undid her seatbelt, opened the door, and threw up. Gorilla pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over. 

Nathalie wiped her mouth. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “He’s going to kill us.” He knew she was talking about Mr. Agreste.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Gorilla responded. He took a bottle of water from the middle console and handed it to her. 

She stared at him in horror. “We lost his child in an akuma battle. Adrien is missing and we have no idea where to look. He could be injured or dead.”

“The Ladybug cure will fix everything. It always does.”

“What if one day he wins and there is no cure?” she said quietly. She put her head between her knees. Time passed and traffic slowly moved forward. Nathalie sat up and sighed. She swished the water around in her mouth and spit it out onto the street. 

She leaned back in her seat and tried to calm herself. Gorilla debated telling her about Adrien, but he knew she couldn’t be trusted. Between stealing the birthday present and telling on Adrien to Mr. Agreste for a number of minor transgressions, he couldn’t trust she would keep his secret. Besides, it wasn’t his to tell. The less people who knew, the better. 

He heard the metal creaking and scrapping against itself before he saw the tower fall. It was so loud it hurt. The Eiffel tower fell forward and almost hit the ground, but it was being held up by something. The action was happening too far away to tell. He knew the monument had been closed due to the play. It would be awful if people were still there during an akuma attack. 

He pulled the binoculars out of his pocket and tried to get a better look. Nathalie grabbed them from his hands. “It looks like they’ve defeated him,” she said excitedly. “Something red is being thrown in the air!”

He could see the Ladybug cure begin. It surrounded the Eiffel tower and put it back together as if nothing had happened. The red mass separated and went in different directions cleaning up Paris as it went. It surrounded the car. Gorilla was grateful the dents would be magically gone and he wouldn’t have to deal with them. 

Traffic cleared as the police cars were moved out of the way. Accidents caused by the akuma had been magically cleaned up, so there was nothing to stop Paris from going back to normal. They arrived at the Eiffel Tower a few minutes later. Nathalie took in a deep breath and got out. He knew she didn’t believe him that Adrien would be here. As they got out of the car, Gorilla reached into the middle console and grabbed a paper bag. Nathalie looked at him, curious, but he ignored her.

Adrien smiled and waved at them from under the tower when he noticed them. Nathalie looked at Gorilla and he just shrugged. The kid bounded over to them. “Sorry I disappeared,” he said. “I, uh, took the Metro,” he paused, “and, um, I came here. I didn’t know there would be so much excitement.” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

Nathalie turned her head and looked at Gorilla. “I’m going back to the house and I’m taking the car. I trust you can get home without it.” She put her hand out for the keys and Gorilla handed them over. She was still pale and looked like she needed to be any place but here.

Gorilla and the kid watched as she walked away. “Is she angry? You don’t think she will tell Father, do you?” he asked his tone more curious than worried. Gorilla shook his head. Nathalie wouldn’t dare risk the wrath of Mr. Agreste just to tell on Adrien. There was no benefit to her. 

“I guess I’ll go find my seat,” Adrien said with a sigh. “I wish I didn’t have to sit by myself.” He started to walk away when Gorilla put his hand on his shoulder and held out the paper bag. Adrien looked inside and found a wheel of cheese, some bread, and a bottle of water. He smiled, “Thanks! I’m starving.”

Gorilla watched him walk away and slip into a small hiding space. He saw Marinette and Alya walking towards seats a few rows from Adrien’s. Gorilla walked over and tapped Alya on the shoulder. He held out two tickets for the seats Nathalie and Mr. Agreste would have occupied.

“You’re Adrien’s bodyguard, right?” Alya asked. Gorilla nodded and nudged the tickets forward. She took them and looked at them. “Hey, these are great seats! Thanks!” She smiled as the grabbed Marinette by the arm and dragged her to the seats specified on the tickets. Adrien wouldn’t have to sit alone after all. 

Gorilla watched from the side as Adrien took his seat next to Marinette. Darkness fell and the play began. Gorilla thought about Nathalie’s words. What if the Ladybug cure didn’t work one day? What if Adrien and Ladybug were defeated? He hoped it would never come to that. He would have to start his own investigation into Hawkmoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Nathalie is terrified of Mr. Agreste which would explain some of her behavior.


	10. Rogercop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Career Day doesn't turn out quite how anyone expected.

Gorilla waited by the back of the limo at the front of the house. He checked his watch. Mr. Agreste was supposed to have left ten minutes ago for Adrien’s school. It was Career Day and every student had been invited to bring their parents to discuss their occupations. Gorilla sighed. Since Mrs. Agreste had been gone, Mr. Agreste had been increasingly absent and forgetful about Adrien.

He waited another five minutes. He decided to go in and check to see if they were going at all. He went to the office and opened the door slightly. He didn’t see anyone, so he opened the door wider and took a look around the room. It was empty. He huffed and closed the door. 

He decided to go back to the car and wait. He couldn’t get caught not being where he was expected to be. A few minutes later, Nathalie walked out the front door. “Mr. Agreste will not be going to Adrien’s school,” she stated. Her expression was stony as she turned on her heel and went back into the house. Something was off with her lately. He shook his head and frowned in frustration.

He took the limo back to the garage. He didn’t want to go back into the house. There was something going on in that house and it wasn’t just that Mr. Agreste was in a mood. Something was off, Gorilla just couldn’t put his finger on what it was exactly. 

He decided to take a walk to Adrien’s school. He didn’t want Adrien to be embarrassed that his father hadn’t shown up. Maybe he could fill in for Mr. Agreste in a pinch. Gorilla wasn’t famous, but he was good at his job. He had never spoken in public before. He was a quiet man, but he would do whatever Adrien needed no matter how uncomfortable it made him.   
He thought about what he would say as he walked. He didn’t know what Adrien’s classmates would want to hear. Maybe he should talk about self-defense or what weapons he carried? Maybe he should mention his pay? Should he tell an exciting story about death threats? Was he supposed to entice the class into his profession? He didn’t know if he wanted any teenager to decide they wanted to be a bodyguard like him. He lived a life of quiet solitude and had decided long ago he would be willing to die protecting the Agreste family. He would even put his life on the line for Nathalie, if he needed to.

When he arrived at the school, he noticed a strange looking police car parked outside. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Maybe one of the students had a parent in the entertainment industry. He walked a little further and that’s when he saw one of Adrien’s teachers on the ground picking up air over and over again. She looked at him, panicked. “I can’t stop! Please help me,” she begged, her face tortured. 

He went to her and noticed the glowing red and blue bracelets around her wrists. He tried to grab her arms to get a better look, but she couldn’t stop moving no matter what he tried. Her knuckles were bloody and raw from where her hands had scraped against the rough cement of the sidewalk. He stood up and started rummaging through the trash trying to find anything to put between the concrete and her hands. 

“He saw me accidently miss the bin and he did this to me. I can’t stop,” she said desperately. “I argued with him, but this isn’t my fault!” 

Gorilla had heard stories from Adrien about Ms. Mendeleiev and he knew she might not be telling the story the way it happened, but telling it to put herself in the best light she could. He pursed his lips and kept digging. He finally found a pizza box. He took it apart, made it flat and put it under her hands and knees trying to take some pressure off her joints and give some relief to her knuckles at the same time. 

“Where is he?” Gorilla growled.

“He went inside,” Ms. Mendeleiev responded, still picking up air. She didn’t even bother to look at him. 

Gorilla got out his handkerchief and wiped some of the gunk from the trash off his hands. It would have to do until he could get inside and wash. He walked up the stairs and inside the building. He immediately noticed Fred Haprele running around the basketball court, his arms stretched out in front of him, the same red and blue handcuffs encircling his wrists. He looked distressed. Gorilla wondered how long he had been running. His shirt was soaked through and he was breathing heavily. Gorilla stopped and watched him for a second pondering how to help him stop. 

He looked around for a barrier, but the place was spotless; there was nothing but a broom lying on the floor. Gorilla stepped in front of him, planted his feet, and lowered his center of gravity to form a blockade so Fred couldn’t get through. Gorilla felt his body slam into him as he wrapped his arms around him, avoiding the man’s outstretched arms. Fred stopped for a split second and then felt Gorilla’s feet start to slowly slide back. 

“They’re pulling my arms. I can’t stop!” Fred cried as he pushed forward, his feet never moving. Gorilla knew he had to be hurting him. Fred would run the risk of a dislocated shoulder if he didn’t continue moving forward at a run. 

Gorilla stepped out of the way, letting him run forward again. There had to be a way to stop him. Gorilla watched his wrists as he ran. The bracelets were pulling him forward. Maybe if he lay down, on his stomach, he could force the bracelets to stop moving. Gorilla would need something soft for him to land on. 

He cursed himself for not making a layout of the school. He knew where most things were that Adrien would come in contact with on a daily basis, like the library and his classrooms, but he didn’t know where he could find couch cushions or a mattress. He suddenly remembered something about a school nurse. Maybe he could find a mattress or pillows in there. He wanted to ask Fred for directions, but the poor man was having trouble breathing. 

He started opening doors he wasn’t familiar with. On the third door, he found a table with chair, a refrigerator, and a couch. It must have been a lounge for the teachers to relax. He took the cushions from the sofa and hurried back. He laid the cushions in Fred’s path. “You’re going to fall on the cushions. You need to fold your arms in as you fall,” Gorilla shouted across the room. He couldn’t tell if the man had understood or not. He just had to hope he didn’t break his arms on the way down. 

He waited until Fred approached and put out his leg to trip him. He was glad Fred folded his arms in and landed on the cushions, face first. He twisted his head around and whispered. Gorilla leaned down to listen and heard him ask to have his shoes removed. Gorilla looked at the man’s feet and noticed for the first time the shoes he had been wearing. They were not meant for running. Gorilla took off the shoes and noticed blood on his socks. He peeled those off as well. He knew how painful it was to have cloth stuck to clotted blood. Better to get them off now than wait. The wounds weren’t bad, but they would have to be cleaned and bandaged. 

He leaned back to Fred’s face and asked, “Is there a nurse or first aid supplies?” 

“Yes,” he whispered. “Over there,” he said as he looked behind Gorilla. He turned around and saw a room behind him. He walked over and opened the door to find a room with cabinets filled with bandages and other first aid supplies. He started rummaging through the cabinets. He found clean towels, water, and bandages. Suddenly, a man entered the room through a door at the back of the room. 

“Can I help you?” he asked. 

“Ms. Mendeleiev is outside and needs her knuckles bandaged. I’m taking care of Fred Haprele. There was another akuma.” Gorilla took the items and left the room, the man following him. Gorilla didn’t know if this man was the school nurse or not, but anyone would be able to bandage and clean the wound with basic first aid skills, which all the school employees had. 

Gorilla went back to Fred and began to work on cleaning the wounds with water and wrapping them. The thought briefly crossed his mind that it was a waste of time as the Ladybug cure would fix his feet, but then he thought about what Nathalie said that one day there might not be a cure. He tried not to think about what that would mean for Adrien and concentrated instead on making Fred comfortable. 

He finished and noticed Fred had fallen asleep. Gorilla decided to go to Adrien’s classroom and check to see if he was there or he had already transformed. He was almost to the room when the students and parents began to file out. Everyone was talking excitedly. Tom recognized him and nodded, but he did not look pleased to see him.

“Have you seen Marinette?” Tom asked. Gorilla shook his head. Tom sighed, “If you see her, would you mind asking her to come home? The akuma is gone and I can’t find her.”   
“Adrien?” Gorilla asked. 

Tom thought for a moment and shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since before the attack. I think he went to the bathroom and didn’t come back.” 

All of the sudden, there was a terrified scream from below. Gorilla pushed past the students, teachers, and parents and ran down the stairs towards the noise. He found Mylene kneeling at her father’s sleeping figure, Ivan holding her close. She was crying. 

“He’s asleep,” Gorilla said quietly. “I’ll take you home.” 

Mylene looked up at him concerned. “I’ll stay,” she said quietly. “Are you sure he’s okay?” Gorilla nodded.

“Don’t worry, Mylene. The Ladybug cure will fix everything,” Ivan assured her. 

Gorilla winced. He trusted Adrien and Ladybug could defeat whoever this was, but he was still worried. Gorilla turned and saw Tom behind him. “I can help you check the bathrooms for Adrien,” he offered. 

Gorilla had no choice but to take him up on his offer. It would be suspicious if he didn’t look for Adrien, even though he knew Adrien was off protecting Ladybug. 

“What happened?” Gorilla asked. Maybe if he had some information on the akuma, he could understand where they were going and how to help stop whoever this was. Tom told him about the bracelet, Marinette’s accusations, and Sabrina’s father being fired by the mayor. Gorilla shook his head. He should have known it had something to do with Chloe and her father. He had known them since taking the job and had always seen them as elitist. 

Gorilla nodded as Tom concluded the story. They searched the bathrooms, but Adrien was nowhere to be found, just as Gorilla had suspected. They both decided to go back to their homes and see if the teens were there, as that was the logical conclusion. 

Gorilla walked with Tom to the bakery, nodded his goodbye, and tried to decide where to go next. If he had been a police officer, who had been fired by the mayor, and wanted revenge, where would he go? 

He didn’t have to wait long for an answer. His phone started vibrating in his pocket. He picked it up and read a news brief about Rogercop taking over the Mayor’s office. Gorilla walked quickly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. 

When he got to the building, he noticed it was surrounded by police, but most were passed out in a pile in front of the door. He smiled, maybe the kid didn’t need boxing lessons after all. Gorilla walked slowly, keeping to the shadows of the building. He didn’t have a plan and he didn’t know if he could help or just be in the way, but he had to do something.

He walked into the building slowly, looking around the door to make sure no one spotted him. He was almost to the main staircase when a mass of red ladybugs shot out of a door on the second floor. He knew that was his cue to leave and get back to the mansion before Adrien did. He couldn’t help feeling relieved at seeing the Ladybug cure in action.

When he got back to the mansion, it was quiet. Nathalie and Mr. Agreste were nowhere to be found. Gorilla was pleased; the less he had to lie, the better. Besides, he wouldn’t even know what to say about where he had been or if Adrien was even in his room. He decided to go to the kitchen and grab some food for Adrien. The kid would be hungry when he got back. 

Gorilla pulled cheese, bread, and some cold ham out of the fridge. He put them on a tray and went to Adrien’s room. He had just put his hand on the doorknob when he heard a loud thump from inside the room. He knocked and heard Adrien respond.

“Just a minute!” Adrien called. 

Gorilla heard someone whisper inside the room and then the door opened. He handed over the tray. 

“Thank you,” Adrien said as he took the tray with a large smile. 

Gorilla nodded and turned, he could hear the door close behind him. He checked his watch. His shift was over. He had never wanted to go back to his apartment and take a relaxing bath more than he did right now. As much as he loved the kid, he might be the death of him.


	11. Animan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the zoo turns out to be a terrible adventure.

Adrien slipped into the backseat for the drive home for lunch and immediately started talking. “Nino just asked a girl to go with him to the zoo this afternoon and he says he needs some help. Do you think Father will let me stay after school and make sure he’s okay?” he asked. 

Gorilla drove in silence for a moment processing what the kid had just told him. “I’ll talk to Nathalie,” he said gruffly. Adrien grinned in the back. Gorilla hadn’t realized Adrien and his friends would be old enough to go out on official dates. He still thought of the kid as just that, a kid. 

“Is the zoo a weird place for a date?” Adrien asked suddenly.

Gorilla drove into Agreste Mansion gate and stopped the car. “No. Lots to see and talk about,” he responded. 

Adrien nodded and opened the door. “Thanks,” he said as he closed the door behind him and bounded up the stairs. Gorilla wondered if Adrien was going to ask someone out on a date. It might be wise for the kid to ask his father before he did that. Mr. Agreste would not be happy if he found out Adrien was dating without his permission. 

Gorilla left the car in the drive and followed Adrien into the house. Adrien was sitting at the large dining room table waiting for his father to arrive. Despite the deal Mr. Agreste had made with Adrien the first day of school, he had yet to eat lunch with his only child. 

Gorilla headed to the kitchen to get Adrien’s food when he met Nathalie coming out with a tray. “I’ll take care of serving Adrien his lunch,” she said. He shrugged at her and let her pass. He wondered if she was being nice for a reason. Usually Nathalie only did him favors when she needed to deliver some bad news. 

He sat down at his desk and looked at his file on Nino. He was quickly turning into Adrien’s best friend, which was a vast improvement over Chloe. Gorilla had taken care to watch for those tell-tale signs that Nino was using Adrien for his own purposes, but he never found any reason to dislike him. He knew Mr. Agreste still had issues with Nino because of Adrien’s birthday. From what Gorilla had heard of the story, Nino had been respectful, but unconventional in his asking for a party. At the time, Nathalie didn’t understand why Mr. Agreste had dismissed him outright and in such a cruel way. Gorilla didn’t understand it either.

Gorilla looked up to find Nathalie standing in front of his desk. “Have you been reviewing the security footage every day?” she asked.

He nodded his head unsure of where this conversation was going. “Something is going on in the kitchens. Can you review the kitchen footage and see if anyone has been taking food?” she asked.

Gorilla couldn’t believe she was concerned about someone stealing food. The staff could eat whenever they wanted, Adrien was eating more, and they fed the designers that came in for meetings. There had to be a reason she was asking. 

“Am I looking for something in particular?” he asked. 

“We needed some camembert for a meeting with investors last night. It was one of the things specifically requested by one of their assistants. The chef said he ordered several wheels of it, but it couldn’t be found when it was time to serve it. I need to tell Mr. Agreste why.” She shook her head. He could tell she was annoyed at the situation. 

He nodded his head and she turned to leave. “Wait,” he said. “Adrien needs to stay after school to work on,” he paused for a moment trying to think of the right way to word his request, “a project.” 

She looked at her tablet and pulled up the schedule. “That will be fine,” she responded. “I need to know about the cheese by 5pm.”

Gorilla already knew exactly where the cheese had gone. It was in Adrien’s minifridge. He had taken it up there himself. He couldn’t exactly tell Nathalie about the strange talking thing that flew in Adrien’s room, which is who Gorilla suspected was eating all the cheese in the house. He would have to come up with something more plausible by the deadline. 

A few minutes later, he took Adrien back to school. “I’ll text you when I’m done helping Nino,” Adrien said as he climbed out of the car. Gorilla nodded his understanding as Adrien shut the door. 

He drove back to the house contemplating what excuse he could give about the cheese that would make Mr. Agreste happy. With the mood he had been in, he was sure he wouldn’t be happy unless he fired someone. Gorilla wouldn’t let that happen. It was his fault Mr. Agreste was angry.

Gorilla put the car away and went into the house. He walked directly to Adrien’s room. He took two wheels of camembert from the minifridge and put them into his pocket. He promptly walked out and went down to the kitchen. There had to be a way to put the cheese back with no one being the wiser.

The room was bustling with activity. Dinner was always served promptly or the kitchen staff would face Mr. Agreste’s wrath. They were always on edge around this time in the afternoon, so no one noticed when Gorilla slipped the wheels of camembert into the wrong refrigerator. He would just tell Nathalie it had been put away in the wrong place. Simple explanations were always better than complicated ones.

Gorilla went back to his desk and deleted the footage from the kitchen for the last ten minutes. He was sure no one would ever notice the missing video. He was the only person who ever looked at it. There would be no other visual evidence of what Gorilla had just done.

He had a few hours to kill until school was out and it was too early to tell Nathalie what happened. He decided he should make a good show of looking through the old video footage. He pulled up the day the cheesemonger made his weekly deliveries. He slowly went through the delivery and watched as the person unloaded the cheese into the refrigerator and took his crates back to his truck. Nothing wrong ever happened in this house. The most exciting things were the akuma attacks, but only one of those had ever been directly aimed at the family.

He sat back in his chair. He needed to start his investigation into Hawkmoth, but he didn’t know where to begin. He attached the keyboard to his tablet and opened a blank document. He stared at the blank page for a while before finally starting to write. He started with the facts he knew about the villain. He knew Hawkmoth made supervillains. He also knew butterflies had something to do with it. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a start. 

Around 3:30pm, he received a text from Adrien asking if Gorilla could drive him and Nino to the zoo by 4 and if he had any discreet communications devices they could use. Gorilla had to read the text twice to make sure he understood what he was asking. He texted back he would be there in 5 minutes. 

He walked to his apartment and went to his dresser. In the bottom drawer he kept some surveillance equipment, walkie-talkies, and various other items. He chose some Bluetooth earpieces, the walkie-talkies, and two headsets with state of the art microphones and headphones. He didn’t know what Nino and Adrien were up to, but he should be prepared. He stuffed them all into a bag and went to get the car.

He arrived at the school and Adrien and Nino quickly got in the car. Gorilla handed over the bag of gear and the boys dove in. Nino pulled out a headset. “Dude!” he said to Adrien, “this stuff is awesome!” 

Adrien smiled at Gorilla in the rearview mirror. “Thanks for letting us borrow something. Nino thinks he needs me, but he doesn’t.” Adrien nudged Nino. “You should tell Marinette how you feel without me there.” 

Nino just shook his head. Gorilla, however, was shocked. He had not anticipated Nino asking out Marinette and her agreeing to a date. He could tell from the way she acted around Adrien when he picked him up and dropped him off that she clearly had a crush on the kid. She didn’t seem the type to manipulate a date to get to someone else, so why had she agreed? 

When they arrived at the zoo, Adrien and Nino got out of the car with the Bluetooth earpieces. They were easy to use and would allow them to talk without anyone hearing the person on the other end. Adrien walked to the front window of the car, “Thanks for bringing us here.” 

Gorilla nodded, “I’ll be here at 5:30 to pick you both up. You can’t be late for dinner.”

Adrien looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “We mustn’t keep Father waiting.” He turned and walked towards Nino. Gorilla watched as they entered the front gates to the zoo. 

He drove the car around the outside of the zoo towards the river. Sometimes you could find parking, if you were lucky. He didn’t want to go inside the zoo, but he knew he should try to at least trail Adrien without being seen. It was his job, after all. He drove around the lot closest to the zoo until he saw a family getting into their vehicle. Parking in Paris was always a pain. Most people took the Metro, but a few, like him had to drive. He waited patiently as the family got in and backed out, leaving the space empty. 

He parked the car and checked his watch. Adrien had been in the zoo quite a while already. He sighed. Even if he were to go now, he wouldn’t be able to find Adrien and get back to the car before he was supposed to meet them. He suddenly remembered he was to tell Nathalie about the cheese by 5pm. If he didn’t, he might be the one who was fired. He sent off a quick text detailing the lie implicating the cheesemonger’s delivery driver. Nathalie did not reply and he did not to expect her to. Not hearing anything was good news in the Agreste house. 

He got out of the car to stretch his legs. It was another beautiful, sunny day. Gorilla went to the back of the car and leaned against the trunk. He closed his eyes and lifted his face towards the sun. There was a loud trumpet sound to his left and he turned toward it. An elephant, followed by a giraffe and large rhinoceros were making their way quickly across the parking lot. Gorilla ran across the lot towards some bushes, trying to get out of the way as fast as he could. He knew, in captivity, these animals were beautiful to look at, but in the wild, they could be incredibly dangerous.

He dove through an opening in some shrubs just as the animals passed, one hippo lagged behind the others. Gorilla waited for all the animals to pass before he came out again. These animals had to have come from the zoo. It had to mean an akuma attack, which meant Chat Noir would be trying to stop it. Gorilla took in a deep breath and held it a moment before letting it out slowly. He had no choice but to go into the zoo and try to help Ladybug and Adrien in their task. 

He walked to the zoo and looked at the front entrance. It was completely deserted except for the chimpanzee in the ticket booth playing with a barcode scanner. He was scanning everything with joy until he accidentally scanned his own eyes. The animal covered his face with both hands giving Gorilla the chance to get by. He walked past the booth, trying not to draw attention to himself. 

The zoo appeared abandoned. Gorilla couldn’t tell where the zoo staff had gone. He walked along the path looking out for anything dangerous. The insect exhibit was on the far side of the complex. He hoped the spiders were still in their enclosures, or at least stayed on that side of the zoo. It was the only thing he was truly afraid of. 

Gorilla froze as a long snake crossed his path. It looked at him, but didn’t seem bothered and kept moving along until the path was clear again and Gorilla felt free to move forward. The path curved and he arrived at a cage made of glass. Inside were Alya and Nino. It looked like they were arguing about something. She had her arms crossed with an angry expression on her face and he looked apologetic. Gorilla didn’t know how they had gotten into the cage, but it would be the safest place for them until the Ladybug cure was released. 

He knew that if Nino and Alya were here, that must mean Marinette was close by. He would keep his eyes open and see if he could find her somewhere. Hopefully, she was well hidden and safe. 

He continued down the path. He came across some picnic tables with statues of hippos behind them. He sat down on one of the benches. There was no one around he could help. Ladybug and Chat Noir had already left. He removed an apple from his jacket pocket. He took out his knife and cut a chunk off the apple. He put it in his mouth and chewed slowly. He shouldn’t be here. He didn’t know what animals he would run across and there was no where he could hide if he came across one. 

He was cutting off another slice when a bird landed next to him. He hadn’t seen a bird like this around Paris. He wondered if it was from one of the exhibits. He gently placed a small piece of apple on the table and the bird picked it up and flew away. Gorilla smiled and cut off another piece of apple and put it into his mouth. 

He heard a loud rumbling sound next to him and was surprised to see a large brown bear walking toward him. He stayed very still as the animal approached, smelled the apple, and gently took it into his mouth. He chewed the apple and the lumbered away. Gorilla let out a long breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. His heart was racing. He had never been that close to an animal that could kill him. 

He should leave this place before something deadly found him. He walked down the path towards the entrance. He watched as some small, flightless birds crossed his path. Part of him wished he knew what some of the animals were. It was fascinating to see them out of their cages wandering around. It was also terrifying. 

Gorilla’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He picked it up and found a news alert asking Parisians to stay inside and not to try to approach any of the loose animals. The alert also asked people to stay away from the area where Adrien’s school was located. He put the phone back in his pocket and went to the car. He had to get to Adrien. He didn’t know how he could help or what he could do, but he had to be there.

He looked at the damage to the car. He couldn’t drive it safely. The taillights were broken and the bumper was hanging down touching the ground. The trunk was crushed inward and the tailpipe was across the parking lot. He took out his phone and looked for the nearest Metro station. There was one near the zoo entrance. 

He walked quickly toward the station. Animals were everywhere, but none seemed bothered by his presence. He walked with a purpose and chose to ignore the scarier creatures that moved around him. He found the Metro station easily and started to walk down the stairs. An electronic sign indicated trains had been delayed due to obstructions on the tracks. He walked further along and found a crowd gathered looking at the gorillas on the tracks. He rolled his eyes. He would have to walk if he wanted to get anywhere. 

He walked back up the stairs and started towards Adrien’s school. He wanted to break into a run, but he knew some animals would find that enticing and might chase him. He had walked several blocks when he noticed a swarm of red coming towards him. He breathed a sigh of relief as ladybugs surrounded him. He found himself inside the car in the lot near the zoo. He got out and examined the vehicle. It was perfect as were all the cars in the lot. His phone buzzed and he looked at it. It was Nathalie asking why Adrien was home and he was not. A few seconds later, Adrien texted that he and Nino had taken the Metro. He texted Nathalie back and told her the Ladybug cure had placed him back where he started. She didn’t need to know Adrien had gone to the zoo with friends and not been working at school on a project. 

Gorilla drove back to the Agreste mansion enjoying the peace and quiet in the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Animan is one of my favorite episodes from season 1. I wrote another story about what happens with Alya and Nino in the cage because I just couldn't stand not knowing.
> 
> I wrote in the cheese part because it was bound to be noticed eventually. Also, I think Gorilla is a moral and ethical person, but he is also human. In his attempts to protect others he might make decisions that could seem like the wrong thing to do, but at the same time, the right thing to do.


	12. Copycat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla finds out what really happened to Adrien's phone.

Gorilla ate in the kitchen with the staff as they watched the midday news. Nadia Chamack had just promised that Ladybug and Chat Noir would be at the unveiling of a statue. Gorilla snorted. She shouldn’t be making promises to the public. He didn’t know how Adrien was supposed to be at fencing practice and at a statue dedication. 

He finished his meal and cleared his plate. It was time to do his weekly rounds of the grounds. He wanted to switch things up, so he started with the top floor and moved his way down. He checked the window and doors, made sure the locks were working, and checked for anything unusual. 

He took his time in Adrien’s room. He had only seen the flying black creature once and he wanted some evidence he hadn’t been delusional. He poked around Adrien’s desk and found a few more discarded poems and love notes. He found a small ring box in one of the drawers, but it was empty. He turned it over in his hands. It was black and inlaid with a lovely red design. It looked old and expensive. It was odd to find an antique in Adrien’s room. It probably belonged to his mother. Gorilla laid it gently back where he had found it, making sure everything looked exactly as he had found it.

He continued to look around the room. The bedside table and book shelves offered no clues. He didn’t want to snoop, but he felt like he had no choice. Sometimes he felt like he would go crazy holding onto this secret. His job was to protect the kid and part of that was keeping Adrien’s identity safe so no one could hurt him. 

Next week, he would have to come in before the maids came to clean. He couldn’t tell if Adrien was a neat person or if the maids just cleaned up after him. He continued his checks throughout the house and then started on the outside of the building. He walked around the outside wall and checked the house for anything unusual. As always, there was nothing amiss.  
Gorilla looked at his watch. It was almost time for the unveiling of the statue. Paris loved their heroes and he knew this statue was just the start of the accolades sure to come to Adrien and Ladybug. He wanted to go and support the kid. Normally, he would tell Nathalie where he was going, but for some reason, he felt uneasy about telling her. He didn’t trust her anymore and he couldn’t afford to give any clues to Adrien’s secret identity.

He walked to the park and sat on a bench near the area designated for the ceremony. He watched the mayor talk to a young man with a stick in his mouth. The young man looked at something in his hand with wonder. Gorilla looked at his watch again. The ceremony was already late starting, but Chat Noir and Ladybug were nowhere to be found. Gorilla wondered if Adrien had trouble getting out of fencing practice. He got off the bench with the intention of walking to the school.

Gorilla heard Chat Noir before he saw him descend from the rooftops to the statue. There was a brief sound of awe from the crowd followed by clapping as Adrien waved to the crowd. He had a smug smile on his face. Gorilla thought he was trying to come across as suave. It looked too staged, like something he would do at a photoshoot.

He saw Alya come from the direction of the bakery. Gorilla had recently updated her file to note her blog. It was no surprise she would be there to record such a momentous occasion. Gorilla wondered briefly where Marinette could be. Usually, when he saw Alya, she was always with Marinette. He turned his attention back to the ceremony. The statue was amazing. The sculptor had really captured their personalities and dynamic as partners. 

A few moments later, the ceremony ended and the crowd began to disperse, but Chat Noir was still there, talking to the young man who was still chewing on the stick. Gorilla thought it was a terrible habit, but he supposed it was better than smoking or chewing on fingernails. Chat looked desperate and cocky, while the other young man looked disappointed. He wondered what they were talking about, so he decided to move closer. 

He stood on the far side of the statue where he wouldn’t be seen, but could hear everything. He heard the young man first, “Ladybug didn’t show up. I just wanted to express my adoration for her.”

“Hey, I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but LB and me are a thing, ya know,” Chat Noir responded. Gorilla could just imagine the look on his face when he said it. He shook his head as he saw the young man with the stick walk away, anger clouding his features. 

Gorilla knew for a fact there was nothing going on between Ladybug and Adrien. If there was, he was sure he would notice a change in the kid. It wasn’t right to lie to someone about a relationship. Gorilla tried to reason why Adrien would claim a relationship where there wasn’t one. The young man was a bit too old for Ladybug. Gorilla had always assumed she would be the same age as Adrien. Her build and hairstyle indicated youth. He had hoped Adrien had lied to protect her and not because of some desperate attempt to make his fantasy of a relationship with Ladybug a reality. But somehow he knew, Adrien lied for himself and not for any other reason. As much as Gorilla liked the kid, he couldn’t overlook his flaws. He hoped it didn’t come back to bite him later.

He looked at his watch. He was going to be late picking up Adrien if he didn’t hurry. He jogged quickly back to the mansion and took the car from the garage. He arrived at the school just in time to see Adrien walk out the front door of the school. The kid got into the car and started rummaging through his bag. Gorilla heard him sigh loudly. They arrived at the house and Adrien got out of the car without a word. 

Gorilla put the car away in the garage and walked to the front door of the house. He sat down at his desk and pulled his tablet out of the top drawer. He had just started typing the security report from the earlier checks when Adrien came down the stairs.

“I think I left my phone at school,” he said, a worried expression on his face. Gorilla nodded, grabbed his tablet, and went to get the car. He pulled around the front of the house and Adrien got in the backseat. Gorilla pulled into traffic and silently cursed. It was the worst time of day for driving in Paris. Gorilla really had to concentrate on the traffic and didn’t notice when Adrien turned on the news in the back.

They pulled up to the school and Gorilla heard Adrien mutter something about the “cat’s meow.” Adrien got out of the car and ran up the steps to the school. Gorilla was sure it wouldn’t take long to find the phone. Adrien rarely misplaced things and Gorilla knew it had to be someplace obvious. 

He was contemplating places Adrien would most likely find the phone when Chat Noir landed on the trunk of the car and jumped off landing gracefully on the roofs across the street. Gorilla scowled. The kid better not have put a dent in the car. He took out his phone and checked the news feeds. Apparently, Chat Noir had stolen a painting from the Louvre. Gorilla shook his head. It had to be an akuma, but no news outlets were reporting it as such. It didn’t look like the general public was in danger, just Chat Noir’s reputation. Whoever this was seemed to have a personal vendetta against the superhero. 

One of the articles had a video with it. He clicked on the image and it began to play. It was Chat Noir stealing the painting. The cat in question had a stick in his mouth. Gorilla rolled his eyes. It was the young man from the unveiling; the one who had “wanted to express his admiration” to Ladybug. 

Gorilla decided quickly he would let Adrien deal with this one himself. He wouldn’t be much help anyway if the public wasn’t in danger. Plus, it would teach the kid he shouldn’t lie about non-existent relationships. If Ladybug didn’t want to date someone, she was perfectly capable of telling them herself.

He sat in the car and wondered what he should do with his time. He looked at the tablet on the passenger seat and sighed. He really should work on his investigation into Hawkmoth. He had also started working on files for akuma victims. Most of them were Adrien’s classmates, so it was easy to modify the files to include some information on the attacks. He wasn’t in the mood to do either. 

He could at least help find the missing phone. He pulled up the app on his tablet and looked up Adrien’s number. A small dot showed the phone was not at school, but across the street at the bakery. He thought it was strange, but maybe Marinette had picked it up and was planning to give it to him at school. 

He got out of the car and walked across the street. It would save time if he just went and got the phone himself. The door chimed as he walked in. “Oh, hello!” Sabine greeted him warmly. He smiled slightly and nodded his head. “Tom!” she called. “Gorilla is here!”

Tom popped his head out from the kitchen. “Hello!” he called and waved. His hands were covered in some sort of sticky substance and his hair was white from flour. He ducked back in the kitchen quickly.

“We had a little accident in the kitchen with the flour,” Sabine said quietly, a smirk on her face. 

“I heard that!” Tom yelled from the kitchen. 

She giggled, “How can I help you?”

“Adrien lost his phone and my app shows its here,” he said.

“Marinettte must have picked it up!” she said with a smile. “I’ll go check her room. Be right back.” She walked up the back stairs to the apartment above. A few minutes later, she reappeared Adrien’s phone in her hand. She held it out in front of her. “It was sitting on her desk. I didn’t see her in her room, but I’m sure it will be fine. She would want Adrien to have his phone.” 

He took it from her and looked at it. This phone was Adrien’s responsibility. What kind of lesson was he teaching the kid if he found the phone for him. Plus, he would have to explain how and where he had found it. Adrien hadn’t realized he could track the phone and it might be best to keep that a secret as long as possible. 

He held the phone out to Sabine. “It might be better if he finds it some other way. Maybe Marinette can give it to him.”

Sabine looked confused, but took the phone back. “You know, she talks about Adrien quite a lot,” Sabine said with a smile. “I think she has a crush on him. He seems like a good kid” Gorilla nodded. “I’ll put it back where I found it,” she said.

“Thank you,” he responded. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out to look at it. The news was reporting the Ladybug cure had placed the painting back exactly where it was supposed to be. “I have to go,” he said.

“Come back soon!” Sabine called as he walked out the door. He jogged quickly back to the car and got in. A few seconds later, Chat Noir landed loudly on the trunk of the car. Gorilla raised his eyebrows and took in a deep breath. He hoped the kid hadn’t put dents in the car with that landing. He doubted the Ladybug cure would fix dents made after the akuma was defeated. He watched in the rearview mirror as Chat Noir went into the school. A few minutes later Adrien opened the door of the car and got in. 

“Didn’t find it,” Adrien said his arms crossed in frustration.

They drove back to the house in silence. Adrien had a look on his face he couldn’t recognize. Gorilla wondered if Adrien was thinking about Ladybug, about the akuma, or about his phone. When they arrived at the front of the house, Adrien got out and went up the stairs. 

Gorilla put the car away and walked back into the house. Nathalie was at his desk waiting on him. “Where were you?” she asked. Unscheduled events always seemed to irritate her.  
“Adrien lost his phone. We went to look at the school. It wasn’t there,” he responded.

“Do you know where it is?” she asked, her face pinched.

“Yes.” He looked at her, meeting her gaze. He wasn't going to be intimidated by her.

“It has personal information on it, including phone numbers that should not be released to the public. Don’t you think you should go get it?” She stared him down daring him to answer.  
“It’s in safe hands and Adrien needs to learn to keep track of his property.” He sat down in his chair and opened his tablet. He didn’t look at her, but he could tell she was still there. She waited a few moments and then turned and walked away. 

The next day, Adrien got in the car after school, phone in hand. He held up the phone and shook it, “It was in my bag the whole time!” he said excitedly.

Gorilla nodded his head and drove back to the house. He had to wonder why Marinette had chosen to put it in his bag rather than give it to him directly. He would note her file with the incident. She could have done so many things with the phone, but she had chosen to pick it up when Adrien had lost it and had given it back with no drama. Gorilla valued her trustworthiness. She could become a helpful ally for the kid in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote another story called "The Phone Message" about what would happen if Chat helped Marinette steal the phone.


	13. Evillustrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla meets Master Fu.

Adrien texted early in the afternoon. He wanted to stay after school to work on a project with Nino and Alya. Gorilla texted back that it was fine. Adrien knew the rules and would text him when he was ready to be picked up. Gorilla got up from his desk and stretched his arms up. He had done his checks for the day, completed his paperwork, and now found himself with nothing to do. He checked his watch. It would be another five hours before he was off his shift. 

He decided to go for a short walk to wake himself up. It had been a boring day and he needed to do something to make sure he didn’t fall asleep at his desk. He walked out of the front door and around the house to the side gate. He started down the street at a quick pace. He hadn’t had a nice walk around the neighborhood in forever.

He found himself in front of a business he had seen before but hadn’t ever paid attention to. The sign advertised a healer. He stood at the door and thought about how he had been feeling lately. His jaw had begun to ache in the mornings from clenching it at night and his head hurt more days than not. He knew it was all tension, probably from Adrien’s extracurricular activities. 

He stepped inside, not fully knowing what to expect from someone who advertised as a healer. A small man in a red Hawaiian style shirt walked over to him. “Can I help you?” the man asked politely. He looked strangely familiar to Gorilla. He must have seen him somewhere around the neighborhood. 

“Healer?” Gorilla said questioningly.

“Yes, I offer a wide variety of services from relieving back and foot pain to tension and other ailments.” He paused and looked Gorilla over. “You look like you have a stressful job and might have some tension headaches and maybe,” he paused and looked carefully at Gorilla’s face, “jaw pain?” 

“Yes,” Gorilla confirmed. He was impressed by this man and his skills of deduction. He wondered if these were common ailments or if he was exhibiting some behavior that would tell him how Gorilla was feeling. 

“I am Master Fu. Come this way.” He gestured over to a mattress covered in a soft blanket. “Lay on your stomach, please.” Gorilla didn’t know why, but he wanted to do as Master Fu bid. He had never taken stock in people who said they could heal others. They always seemed like charlatans. But this man seemed trustworthy and knowledgeable. 

Gorilla kneeled on the mattress and placed his hands down. He lowered himself onto the mattress and closed his eyes. He heard Master Fu clap and hum to himself. He let himself sink into the soft blanket and relax. He let his mind wander. He thought about his job and Adrien. He thought about his life and who he was and the path he had chosen for himself. He thought about his future and where he wanted to go in his life. He drew no conclusions and no definite solutions to anything, but it didn’t seem to matter. Just letting his mind go seemed to diminish the stress.

Suddenly, he heard Master Fu, “You should feel better now.”

Gorilla opened his eyes and blinked the room back into focus. He lifted himself up and sat on the edge of the mattress for a moment. He did feel better. He felt lighter somehow, like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Gorilla smoothed his hair and got up. He made his way over to the counter where the cash register was located and reached inside his jacket for his wallet. 

Master Fu waved his hand, “No, no.” Gorilla looked at him suspiciously. “You needed the help and I was happy to give you some relief.” The old man smiled. Gorilla really looked at him. He looked so familiar. The phone in Gorilla’s pocket vibrated. He pulled the phone out, but his hand slipped and the phone dropped to the ground. Master Fu kneeled down to pick it up and Gorilla instantly knew who he was. This was the frail old man Adrien had helped on his first day of school. Gorilla noticed he wasn’t frail now and he seemed perfectly capable of taking care of himself. 

Master Fu handed the phone back to Gorilla. “Thank you,” he said. 

“Should I put you down for an appointment in a few weeks?” Master Fu asked.

“Yes,” Gorilla said and made an appointment. This man required further investigation and he would only be able to get so far doing research online. Something was strange about this situation, something Gorilla didn’t like. 

Gorilla walked out the door, thanking Master Fu once again for his hospitality. He stopped outside in front of the building and took several pictures of the outside with his phone. He started to walk back toward the mansion when he realized he had neglected to check his phone to see who had called. He pulled it out and saw a text from Adrien. The research was taking longer than expected and he would have stay at the library a little while longer. Gorilla texted back for Adrien to be home by 9. 

He walked back to the mansion slowly and tried to think of what excuse would work for Nathalie to release Adrien from his dinner obligation with his father. He finally decided the truth would be preferable. Mr. Agreste had only come to dinner once in the months they had planned to eat together. 

As soon as he entered the mansion, he went to search for Nathalie. He found her working at her desk. Mr. Agreste was nowhere to be found. Gorilla often wondered where he could disappear so completely without leaving the house, but he never found anything strange when he did his checks. He told Nathalie where Adrien was and why. She just nodded and went back to her computer. She didn’t seem bothered at all by the kid’s absence. 

Gorilla went to the kitchen and grabbed two apples, a wheel of camembert, bread, grapes, and some cold ham. He took one apple for himself and left the rest in the minifridge in Adrien’s room. He walked back to his desk and took a bite from the fruit. He couldn’t stop thinking about Master Fu. He wondered briefly if he could have anything to do with Hawkmoth. Maybe he was a terrible villain who needed to be stopped. Or maybe he had been an old man out for a walk and the weather bothered his joints sometimes.

Gorilla noted his file on Hawkmoth with Master Fu’s name and then started a new file on his new suspect. He noted the things he knew: name, address, the photos he had taken, and a detailed description of the inside of the room he had been in. He also started a timeline starting with the day Adrien had helped him. 

A few hours later, he had written out everything he could remember. He was going to start researching his databases for further information, but the night security guard approached his desk and he was relieved for the night. Gorilla would have sent the man away to continue his work, but Master Fu didn’t seem like he would make a move anytime soon, so he reluctantly let the guard take over his desk. 

He walked to Adrien’s room. He hadn’t seen the kid come in, but he knew Chat Noir liked to come in and out of the window. He knocked on the door and Adrien opened it. The kid opened the door and smiled up at him. Gorilla put his hand on Adrien head and ruffled his hair a bit. Without a word, he turned around and headed back down the stairs. He grabbed a snack from the kitchen and went back to his apartment for the night.

It wasn’t until the next day that Gorilla heard about the akuma attack on Le Grand Paris on the morning news. It explained where Adrien had been and why he had been so happy when Gorilla had checked on him. He would have to update his files.


	14. Puppeteer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla tries to follow Chat Noir around town.

Adrien had spent the past hour in his room practicing the piano. Gorilla liked to stand outside his room while he practiced. He found the sound of the piano comforting. Gorilla had always liked piano music. His sister would practice at night and Adrien’s practice always brought back warm memories. 

Gorilla always knew when Adrien was actually practicing and when he was playing a recording. Practice had mess-ups and restarts. Practice meant doing one thing over and over again until it was right and then putting it together with the rest of the piece. Adrien practiced most days, but Gorilla couldn’t really blame him when he chose to take a day off and just play a recording. He knew the kid didn’t know anyone could tell the difference, but Gorilla always knew.

Gorilla heard the music stop. Adrien opened the door and looked up at him. He then sighed loudly and stepped back inside the door. Gorilla didn’t know what caused the large and dramatic sigh, but he knew teenagers sometimes kept things to themselves. He tried to put it out of his mind.

When the music didn’t start up again, he walked back to his desk and started working on his Hawkmoth file. He had added in a few ideas and updated it with the recent akuma victims. He was putting in a theory he had about Hawkmoth being an empath and having supernatural abilities, when Adrien walked past him and out the front door.

It took him a moment to realize Adrien was opening the gate. He had never been so blatantly obvious about leaving the house alone. Gorilla sat in shock and then suddenly realized he should get up and follow. He quickly gathered his phone and his taser and ran out the front door. He walked quickly through the gate, barely making it out before it closed completely.

Gorilla looked up and down the street trying to see where the kid had gone. He finally spotted him walking down the sidewalk, past the park. Gorilla jogged after him, not really wanting to catch up. If Adrien wanted to be alone, he could try to make it seem like that was happening. 

Adrien walked along in front of the school and then he suddenly broke out in a run. Gorilla smiled to himself and shook his head. He walked back to the park and sat down on one of the benches. He wasn’t worried. The kid could take care of himself and he had that flying creature with him. He pulled up the app on his phone to track Adrien’s phone. The kid was in the metro station. 

He sent a text to Nathalie asking if Adrien had asked to go anywhere that day. Nathalie texted back that he wanted to go to a movie, but she had told him no. It was a wonder that Adrien hadn’t just turned into Chat Noir and left through the window. He put his phone down. Without knowing what movie and what time or what direction he would want to travel, he couldn’t exactly follow him anywhere. 

He looked at the dot on his phone again and watched as it disappeared. The signal was sometimes lost when a train moved through a tunnel. He didn’t have to wait long before the dot showed back up on his phone. It stayed stationary for a few minutes before moving quickly out of the subway station. The dot didn’t follow any roads on the map, but instead seemed to move over buildings. 

Gorilla leaned forward on the bench and watched the dot intently. He seemed to be headed back in the direction of the park. The dot got closer and Gorilla walked out of the park to look at the rooftops. 

He saw Ladybug first. The bright red suit was unmistakable. She landed on the roof of the bakery and waved to someone. Gorilla looked in the direction she was waving and saw Chat Noir coming toward her. Gorilla hoped Tom and Sabine were safe and not akumatized.

He walked quickly toward the bakery and paused at the door. He pulled out his taser and looked in the window. He opened the door slowly and stepped inside. There was no one in the bakery until Tom stepped out from the kitchen. Gorilla tried to act casual as he hid the taser behind his back, but he could tell Tom knew something was wrong. 

“Everything okay?” Tom asked, concern in his voice. 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are upstairs,” Gorilla responded. He kept his eyes on the stairs.

“Sabine and Marinette,” Tom said softly. He took off up the stairs and Gorilla followed him. 

Tom stopped at the top of the stairs and called out, “Sabine!”

“Yes,” Sabine stepped out of the bathroom, a brush in her hand. Tom walked up to her quickly and hugged her. She hugged him back and when he let go, she looked up at his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Gorilla saw Ladybug and Chat Noir up here. Have you seen them?” Tom asked. Gorilla noticed the stairs at the back of the room. He wondered where they led and it that was where Ladybug and Chat Noir were.

Sabine looked at Tom and then at Gorilla. “Marinette,” she looked back at Tom and then at the stairs. “You don’t think…” 

Gorilla moved toward the stairs and slowly went up, his taser still in his hand. He didn’t know if he could help if an akuma was after Marinette, or worse, if Marinette was the akuma. But he had to try. He opened the hatch at the top of the stairs and looked around. He was at a disadvantage as he could only see one half of the room, the half-opened hatch blocking his line of sight. He listened for a moment and when no sound came from the room, he opened the hatch and entered.

Tom came in right behind him. He called down to Sabine, “She’s not here.”

“I’m so glad! She was going to a movie with Alya. I thought I heard her leave, but I wasn’t sure,” Sabine called up the stairs. 

Gorilla looked around the room and noticed several things. First, she had a number of pictures of Adrien hung on her wall. Second, her room was extraordinarily tidy for a teen. And third, the round window leading to the street was open. 

He pointed and Tom went to it and looked out. “I see them!” he said excitedly. “They are on the street talking.” Tom took off down the stairs. Gorilla knew they would be gone by the time he got there. Ladybug and Chat Noir never stayed in one place long when there was an akuma to take care of. 

Gorilla took his time walking down the stairs. He looked around the living room and kitchen as he walked past. Everything was warm and inviting. He almost wanted to sit down on the couch and make himself at home. It was so much cozier than the Agreste mansion. Even his own apartment felt stilted and stiff compared to this. 

He breathed in the homey smells and then moved on to the stairs leading to the bakery. When he arrived at the bottom Tom was already back inside. “They’re gone,” he stated flatly.  
Gorilla pulled up the tracking app on his phone. It looked like Adrien was standing still on a corner a block away. “I have to go,” he said. “Sorry.”

Tom looked at him confused, but Sabine nodded her understanding. He walked out the door, checked the app again, and started running toward the dot on the map. He arrived a few minutes later at a round kiosk. Adrien was gone, but there was a small piece of camembert on the ground. He looked again at the app. Adrien was on the move. If he wanted to help or at least keep an eye on him, he was going to have to run. He rolled his eyes. He was in the wrong shoes for this kind of exercise.

He put his phone in his pocket and started jogging in the general direction Chat Noir was taking over the rooftops. Two blocks later, he checked again and adjusted his trajectory. Every few blocks, he checked his phone and ran toward the dot. He felt like he was going in circles. Four blocks later, the dot seemed to stay in the same place, the TV studio. When he looked up to get his bearings in relation to the map, he found it was just across the street.

Gorilla tried to wait for the crosswalk lights to change, but he saw an opening in traffic and took his chance. He dashed across the street, weaving in and out of traffic. He was almost hit twice and he was grateful to drivers who paid attention to what was happening around them. 

He opened the door to the building and walked inside, expecting to find a battle raging, but instead he found an empty lobby. He heard whimpering from behind the desk and discovered the receptionist cowering underneath. “Where are they?” he asked gruffly.

She pointed to a monitor where he could see Chat Noir raising to the air along with a doll that looked exactly like him. They both fell to the ground, kneeling before a girl floating in the air dressed in blue. He watched in horror as Adrien turned on Ladybug and tried to attack her. He had to get to him and stop him. 

He went to the elevator and pushed the button. He checked the app on his phone, making sure Adrien was still in the building. The elevator was taking it’s time getting to him. He looked around and found the door to the stairs. He would have to take his chances. 

Gorilla ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He reached the floor he needed, but he was tired and out of breath. His feet were killing him. He walked down the silent hall and waited for the inevitable crashes and loud booms that fights usually caused, but no sounds came. He walked in the studio he had seen on the monitor and it was completely empty. 

He paused for a moment. He had to think. The building was huge. There were many business and several studios, they could be anywhere. He thought about Ladybug and what she would do. She was under attack. Where would she go? She would want to protect the public, so downstairs or in the streets was not an option. The most logical place to go was the roof.

He took off up the stairs again. He arrived at the top of the stairs and waited before he opened the door. There was no window, so he couldn’t see inside. Instead, he listened. He didn’t expect to hear anything through a steel door, but he thought he would try. When he didn’t hear anything, he opened the door slightly and peered out. 

Gorilla saw several akuma victims from the past. This situation was proving to be far more dangerous than he had originally thought. He didn’t see Chat Noir or Ladybug, so he closed the door slowly and quietly. He walked down the stairs and opened the first door he came to. It opened on a brightly lit, empty hallway and he stepped through the door. He pulled out his phone and checked in again.

He was both relieved and annoyed to find the dot was now in the middle of the river. He sighed and went toward the bank of elevators. He pressed the down button and waited patiently. When the elevator arrived, he got on and tried to formulate a plan, but the best he could come up with was going to the river to see if Adrien was there. 

He hated chasing the kid around town, but he was paid to keep Adrien safe and he would at least try to do that even if the kid could practically fly across the rooftops. The elevator stopped at the lobby and he exited. He walked to the front door and sighed heavily as he opened it. He felt useless. His entire job was to keep the family, mostly Adrien, safe. He was proving to be ineffective at his job.   
He walked down the street and thought about quitting. He hardly spent any money and he had been paid handsomely by the Agreste family. He could retire early and spend his life in luxury somewhere in the country. He imagined how his life might be sitting in a chair on a porch, looking out over a green field. A simple life. There was only one problem with that; it was boring and it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to see Adrien graduate. He wanted to see Adrien get married. He wanted to see Adrien defeat Hawkmoth. He wanted to see the kid make new friends.   
He walked several blocks before he checked the app on his phone again. The dot was back at the television station. He turned around and started to walk back when he saw a bright red cloud make its way across the sky. He smiled slightly. Ladybug and Chat Noir must have defeated the akuma. Hopefully, that meant Adrien had missed the movie and would head home. He walked to the nearest Metro station and got on a train. 

He waited patiently at the park near the mansion for Adrien to return. He watched the dot on the phone get closer and closer until he saw Adrien at the end of the block. Adrien saw him a few moments later and stopped in his tracks. Gorilla held up his hand trying to seem like he was waving hello. Adrien waved back hesitantly and started walking toward him again.

Adrien walked up to Gorilla and looked at his feet. “Sorry,” he said. Gorilla placed a hand on his shoulder and patted it. The gesture felt awkward, but he didn’t know what to say to make it alright and he didn’t know what the professional bodyguard thing was to do in this situation. Adrien looked at him and smiled warmly. They walked back to the house together.

Later that night, Gorilla sat in his chair, soaking his feet. He really needed to watch the news to make notes on the akuma attack, but he didn’t feel like reliving the day just yet. He could watch the reports online in the morning. He picked up a book and started reading, trying to forget the day. Adrien was safe and Paris was no longer in danger. There wasn’t much more he could ask for.


	15. Mr. Pigeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gorilla gets freaked out by some birds.

Gorilla had woken up late which irritated him immensely. He rushed to get dressed and ended up putting on a suit that was slightly too small, but then didn’t have time to change into something else. He walked out of his apartment feeling off and uncomfortable.

As he locked the door to his apartment, he noticed a pigeon land next to him on the railing. He shooed it away with a flick of his hand. He looked at his watch. It was past time to take Adrien to school. He hurried down the stairs and pulled the car out of the garage and in front of the house. Adrien hopped inside, excitement spread across his face.

“Who do you think will win the contest?” Adrien asked as he closed the door.

“Contest?” Gorilla asked. He had no idea what the kid was talking about. He pulled the car out of the front gate slowly.

“Remember, the derby hat contest today at school?” he paused and looked at Gorilla in the rearview mirror. 

Gorilla nodded his head. Nathalie had emailed him the schedule yesterday. He was supposed to bring Mr. Agreste to judge the competition. 

“I think it will be Nathaniel. He’s very creative. Or maybe Marinette? She’s always drawing and making interesting things. The hat she made me for Christmas was great,” he said with a smile. Adrien continued talking about his friends and guessing who might win the contest until it was time to get out of the car. Gorilla waited until Adrien walked into the school before he pulled the car away.

When he got back to the house, he put the car back into the garage and thought about going back to his apartment to change, but he had an appointment with Nathalie to talk about Adrien’s extracurricular activities and academic success. It was a standing meeting they had once a month, but Gorilla thought it was unnecessary. The kid was practically perfect.

He put his thumb in the waistband of his pants trying to loosen them, but it didn’t work. He wondered why he even had this suit in his closet. He walked in the house through the kitchen and grabbed an apple for his breakfast. He walked to his desk and grabbed his tablet before walking into the dining room. They often had meetings at the dining room table so they would not disturb Mr. Agreste while he was working. 

Nathalie was already seated. “You’re late,” she said. Gorilla didn’t say anything as he sat down, his waistband dug into him uncomfortably. “Adrien isn’t practicing piano enough,” she said as she officially started the meeting.

Gorilla grunted in response. He couldn’t make the kid practice. 

Nathalie continued, ”He needs to practice at least two hours a day to get at the level Mr. Agreste would like him to be at.” She stopped and looked at Gorilla expecting a response.

“I’ll talk to him,” he said. 

“Good,” she paused. “We have a call with Chinese investors later this month. Adrien will be required to translate. Will he be ready?”

He nodded. Gorilla knew the kid could translate most things, but he didn’t know if he knew fashion industry terms or investment terms in Chinese. He would talk to Adrien’s tutor about it and see if there was something they should work on. Translating for his father’s company would be a big job and one Gorilla was confident Adrien could do.

Nathalie looked at her tablet. “I think that’s all for now. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

Gorilla got up from the table. As he stood up, he found he was relieved the suit wasn’t digging into him anymore. He put his tablet back on his desk and went to his apartment to change. He put on more comfortable clothes and hung up the ill-fitting suit in his closet. He would get rid of it later.

He checked his watch. He had some time before he was supposed to pick up Adrien from school. It was time to do his monthly checks of the cars. He hated taking the vehicles to the mechanics, so he usually did the maintenance work himself. 

He started with the limo. If he had to drive Mr. Agreste to the school later, he had to make sure the limo was in great shape. He started to change the oil and noticed a pigeon walking across the sidewalk. It looked exactly like the pigeon he had shooed away earlier. It flew up and landed on top of the car. He shooed it away again by flinging a rag toward it. 

He had just finished when his phone buzzed. Adrien was texting to let him know that he would be at Nino’s until the judging began at school. Gorilla liked Nino. He was a good kid with good judgement. Gorilla was glad that Adrien had found a friend that was a positive influence.

Gorilla looked up and the same pigeon he had seen earlier land on the car. He wondered if the bird had a nest nearby as he shooed him away again. The bird flew away and then came right back, landing exactly where it had before. He shooed it away again.

He noticed another pigeon walk toward the car and another on top of the security wall surrounding the house. He started washing the car and when he looked up again, there were more birds. Gorilla didn’t pay much attention. Paris was known for its pigeons. 

He continued to wash the limo. He was halfway done when a pigeon landed on the front of the car. It was the same pigeon he had shooed earlier. The pigeon seemed to glare at him. He had never seen a bird glare before. It was more than a little disconcerting. 

The pigeon watched him as he started to scrub the car again. Gorilla started to rinse off the soap from the section of the car he had washed and looked up and he saw the front of the car covered in pigeons standing in neat rows. All of them looked directly at him. He backed away from the limo, slightly alarmed. He wasn’t afraid of them, but he had never seen so many gathered together before.

As if on cue, the birds took flight at the same time. He watched as they climbed into the sky forming the shape of an airplane as the flew. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen. There were so many birds all flying in the same direction, all in the shape of planes. 

He shook his head. It had to be the work of an akuma. He continued to wash the car. He couldn’t just stop in the middle of the job and run off into the city looking for a villain. Nathalie would ask questions and he couldn’t afford to have that happen. 

When he was done, he put his things away and went to his apartment to change. He switched on the news and watched as pigeons took over the streets of Paris. Nadja Chamack prompted a video of a man called Mr. Pigeon which apparently had been taped an hour before. Gorilla waited for him to say why he was doing what he was doing or who he was going after, but he didn’t. It was very strange.

The video was followed by footage of Chat Noir and Ladybug flying toward danger in an attempt to defeat the akuma. The video was cut short by Nadja Chamack reporting that the akuma had been defeated and the pigeons were acting normal again. The Ladybug cure had been released, but there had been little property damage or injuries to fix. There was, however, bird poop on everything. The cure went throughout the city and cleaned everything. 

Gorilla left his apartment relieved he hadn’t had to chase Adrien around town. He put the key into the lock of his door and watched as a pigeon landed on the railing next to him. He didn’t attempt to shoo it away. Instead, he nodded to it, turned, and walked down the steps. He would never look at another pigeon the same way ever again.

He checked his watch. There was some time before he was to take Mr. Agreste and Nathalie to the school for the competition. He went to his desk and wrote an email to Adrien’s Chinese tutor letting them know about the upcoming call with the investors. He took a look at the kid’s schedule for the next few days and filled in some time for him to practice piano. Gorilla looked over his work and was shocked at how little time Adrien had to himself. He would have to figure out a way to convince Nathalie to drop one or two or his obligations.

Nathalie’s voice came from above his head, “It’s time to leave.”

He looked up and nodded. “Where is Mr. Agreste?”

She held up her tablet and rolled her eyes. It occurred to Gorilla then that he wouldn’t be joining them in person. He could feel himself growing angry on Adrien’s behalf, but he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Adrien would understand, he always did.

The drove the short distance to the school in silence. He parked the car at the entrance and watched as Marinette ran into the school holding a hat box. He smiled to himself and realized the he hoped she would win the competition. 

Nathalie and Gorilla walked in the school. They stopped at the entrance to the room where the judging was to take place and Nathalie pulled up the app that would allow Mr. Agreste the opportunity to speak with the contestants. He paused with her and then they both walked through the door together.

Adrien looked at Gorilla and scowled looking for sympathy, but the look faded quickly and was replaced by a smile. Gorilla knew it was the smile he used at photoshoots, not his real smile. He watched Nathalie greet the principal as he took up a spot out of the way in the corner of the room near the entrance to the room. He could see everything from this vantage point. 

He watched Adrien lead Nathalie around the room, allowing Mr. Agreste to look at each hat turn. When the group turned to Marinette’s hat, something seemed wrong. Nathalie had a frown on her face and the entire group turned back to Chloe’s hat. Gorilla thought the hats looked similar, but he couldn’t be sure, he was too far away. Chloe seemed to put on a show and threw herself onto her work, crying histrionically. Marinette, in turn, seemed to explain something. He wished he could hear what was happening, but he could tell from her stance that she was confident and calm. Chloe’s hat was knocked over and she ran from the room. Gorilla rolled his eyes. She always had a flair for the dramatic. 

He turned his attention back to Adrien, who was gently taking the hat from Marinette. She looked over the moon. It wasn’t long before Adrien started to sneeze from the feathers on the hat. Gorilla had honestly forgotten he was allergic to feathers. He would have to get some medicine for the kid before the photoshoot featuring the winning derby.

Gorilla, Nathalie, and Adrien left the school together. Adrien didn’t seem disappointed, in fact, he seemed please, despite the sneezes Gorilla heard coming from the back of the car. When they returned to the house, Nathalie took the hat and Adrien went to his room. Gorilla would talk to him tomorrow about piano practice and the upcoming call with the investors. Right now, it looked it he needed rest and an antihistamine. 

Gorilla sat at his desk and opened his tablet to update the files on the akuma victim. He spent the rest of the day researching the man known briefly as Mr. Pigeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really hard time writing this episode. I'm not a funny person and I so wanted it this to be funny, but it's not, and that's okay. This is one of my favorite episodes because it's just so funny. The man cooing like a pigeon, the sneezing, birds flying in strange formations, and the poop jokes are just so over the top. For the record, I also enjoy dad jokes, "Captain Underpants" books, and the word duty makes me giggle every time.

**Author's Note:**

> I have always been interested in people's perspective and their lives as they see them. Gorilla has always fascinated me, so I thought I would write from his viewpoint. Somethings that are significant in the show will not be to him. 
> 
> I'm using the linked timeline as the correct way to view the episodes. It is used with permission from the creator. 
> 
> All characters and episodes belong to Thomas Astruc and others.


End file.
